Skipping Stones
by Reign of Rayne
Summary: When Zangetsu travels back in time after a terrible war against Aizen and the Quincy, he does everything in his power to make sure that Ichigo doesn't grow up alone. No matter what, Zangetsu will support his King.
1. Chapter 1

_I should be writing for my other stories, but this idea popped into my head and there was no way I could let it sit. I'm sure you other authors know the feeling, or at least something like it. Enjoy!_

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The little boy ran through the streets, his bright orange hair easily distinguishing him from the crowds of people that bustled past him. He slipped through the crowds, between people that didn't seem to notice that he was there, walking past them silently yet with more purpose than they could ever hope to have. They were stopped in time; he was trapped in motion.

His face was lined with weariness that he should not have had, his steps weighed down with tragedy that should not have occurred but still did, still ruined any chance the boy felt he had at a happy life.

In no time at all yet all the time in the world, the boy made it to his destination. He went down the stone steps, his shoes making hard noises against them. He didn't bother with the railing, didn't need it. The stairs were ingrained in his memory, and he'd done this too many times to need such pointless safety measures.

His shoes hit the sidewalk and it was only there that the boy paused briefly, a hesitation that spoke volumes and nothing at all about his state of mind. Yet he continued, walking forward a few meters and then sitting down with his knees drawn up to his chest just in front of where the bank sloped down into the river. The ground beneath him was hard, but he either didn't notice or didn't care.

The sun was setting, its golden glow washing over the sky and painting it in brilliant hues of gold, highlighting the few clouds that drifted across the heavens. The entire river glowed with fading light, but its appeal was lost on the boy before it. His eyes stared sightlessly into the shifting waters, unseeing and lost in memory.

He threw a rock, aimlessly and carelessly, and tracked its motion with only his eyes as the stone arced down into the reflection of the sun on the water, momentarily distorting the shape. The ripples faded out quickly, too quickly, but the boy saw no other rocks nearby.

When he spoke, his voice was quiet, meant for his ears and his ears alone.

"Why won't you come back?" He muttered, his voice breaking. "Mommy . . . why can't you come back?"

Footsteps pulled the young boy out of his reverie and his head snapped up, childish hope filling his gaze and fragile hope filled his chest that _maybe she's come back_—

Reality crashed back down with jarring force as the boy realized that the teenager walking up to him was clearly not his mother, and he buried his head between his knees, pulling himself into a ball and wishing to disappear.

**"Hey, kid."**

The footsteps stopped, and the only sound was the gentle motion of the river as it flowed by.

**"Look at me."**

The boy shook his head minutely, not wanting to talk to strangers. His mom had told him not to, and now that she was gone—

He pulled himself tighter, trying to drag his thoughts away from that even though it was what pulled him to this spot. His heart ached, ached in a way he never thought possible, never even considered before, but now it was constant and never-ending.

The boy heard the innocuous shifting of fabric, and then the sound of someone sitting down beside him. The person took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

**"What's the matter with ya, kid? Ya look sad."** The boy could tell that the stranger was looking at him. **"It doesn't suit ya. Yer hair's too bright."**

"Go away," The boy said, his words muffled.

**"No."**

"Leave me alone."

**"That would just be wrong, kid."**

The boy squeezed his eyes shut, and he hated how his voice shook when he spoke. "Stop calling me 'kid'!"

The stranger was silent for a few minutes, which the boy was completely grateful for. A slight breeze drifted across the river, ruffling the boy's hair, but he didn't notice. He was lost in his own thoughts, and nearly forgot about the person sitting beside him until the stranger spoke again.

**"So what should I call ya? Assumin ya have a name, 'course."**

"I don't talk to strangers," the boy replied, his voice quiet.

**"My name's Zangetsu, and now I ain't a stranger."**

Another silence settled over the two while the boy wrestled with the idea of talking to the person who had sat down beside him and refused to move. After thinking it over, the boy gave in.

"I'm Ichigo."

**"Ichigo, huh? Why would anyone name their kid 'strawberry'?"**

"It means one who protects!"

**"Ya know, yer not that intimidatin when yer buried in yerself like that. So I'm stickin with Strawberry."**

Ichigo clenched his hands into fists, grit his teeth, and seriously considered trying out his karate talent on whomever was sitting next to him. He stopped himself, however, and instead tried to use words, like his mom. While doing so, he raised his head and looked, bleary-eyed, at Zangetsu, who was still sitting next to him. The teenager was vaguely out of focus, but Ichigo could clearly see that his hair was a shocking white, contrasting heavily with his black shirt.

"It means 'one who protects', like a king and his castle," Ichigo said, his expression daring the other to say something. "Not 'strawberry'."

**"A king? That ain't a bad name, then." **Zangetsu offered a grin. **"I'm gonna call ya that, 'kay?"**

Ichigo mouth twisted. "I'm not a king."

Zangetsu's expression darkened for a split second before going back to what it had been before. **"Sure ya are. Ya just don't know it yet."**

Ichigo made a small noise of acknowledgement—not agreement—and rested his head on his knees, staring into the river much like he had been doing before Zangetsu showed up.

Countless moments passed without either boy making a sound, until Ichigo heard Zangetsu get up.

**"I'll be right back, King."**

"I'm not a king!"

The protest went unheard as Zangetsu walked away, hands in the pockets of his orange cargo pants. Ichigo wondered whether they matched his own hair, and then decided that it really didn't matter.

Plus, Zangetsu's hair was white. Ichigo had never seen hair that color; at least, not as the only color on the person's head. Not to mention that Zangetsu's skin was also white, which made Ichigo think that the teenager could really use more time in the sun. That's what his dad was always telling him, anyway, and it seemed to make sense for the older boy's pale skin.

Ichigo's attention turned back to the water and the sunset that reflected so brightly off of it. He remembered talking about sunsets with his mom, and he wished he could get one more chance to do so.

"That's why I don't like sunsets," he mumbled, his eyelids drooping even though Ichigo didn't feel tired. "They're so sad."

Familiar footsteps approached again and Ichigo saw Zangetsu sit down next to him out of the corner of his eye, though he wasn't willing to turn his head away from the sunset before him. The teenager appeared to be carrying something, but Ichigo didn't feel curious enough to ask what it was.

The light of the sun had just begun to dim when Ichigo was startled out of his thoughts by a sharp splash, followed quickly by four more. He looked out to the river, wondering what the noises had been. Ripples spread out from various points on the river, only to be quickly swallowed up by the current.

Movement caught Ichigo's eye and he turned to his right just in time to see Zangetsu fling another rock across the river. The young boy's eyes widened as he saw the stone skip five times before finally sinking. Zangetsu noticed him looking and wordlessly offered Ichigo a stone from the large pile he had accumulated. Belatedly, Ichigo realized that the pile was what Shiro had been gathering a few minutes before.

Accepting the rock—it was impressively smooth—Ichigo shifted to face the river again and brought his arm back, squinting slightly to try and line up his throw. Unbeknownst to the young boy, his tongue stuck out just barely, further emphasizing his concentration. After a second more of focus, Ichigo let the rock fly, bringing his arm forward and flicking his wrist almost instinctively.

The rock bounced once and then sunk, barely making it any distance at all. As if to rub in Ichigo's failure, Zangetsu threw his rock. That stone bounced six times before sinking, approaching the other side of the river. Ichigo frowned, glancing at the rock that Zangetsu was once again holding out to him. Zangetsu raised an eyebrow at Ichigo's hesitation and made to take the rock back, but Ichigo quickly grabbed it.

With childish seriousness, Ichigo cocked his throwing arm again, looking ready to throw for all intents and purposes.

**"Wait a sec," **Zangetsu said, grabbing Ichigo's wrist. Ichigo instinctively flinched, first at the teenager's sudden movement and then at how cold the other boy's hand was. It barely felt like someone was grabbing him; instead, Zangetsu's hand felt like a cold sensation. When Zangetsu held tighter, however, Ichigo could definitely feel his grip.

"Hey!" Ichigo protested, beginning to pull his hand away.

**"Tch. Stop movin. If ya throw it like that yer not gonna get even one skip."**

Ichigo paused in his struggling as Zangetsu reached over with his other hand and began to adjust Ichigo's fingers. The young boy found himself automatically resisting Zangetsu's instructions, but the teenager eventually coerced Ichigo into changing his grip.

Zangetsu frowned, looked at Ichigo's form in a critical manner, and then nodded. **"Try it now, King."**

"I told you, I'm not a king," Ichigo mumbled, but he threw the stone nonetheless.

The throw didn't have as much power behind it as the previous one had; Ichigo was still getting used to the new grip. Ichigo's expression fell as the rock sunk immediately once again.

Zangetsu shrugged and handed Ichigo yet another rock, and then shifted the entire pile over to the younger boy. **"Here. I'll get s'more."**

The teenager wandered off, hands in his pockets, to look for more rocks that were suitable for throwing. Ichigo, meanwhile, grabbed another stone and stared at it with great intensity before deciding that it would do. He wrapped his hand around it and then spent a few precious seconds adjusting his own grip, struggling to remember how Zangetsu had done it. Eventually, he decided that it was as good as it was going to get, and pulled back his arm.

Remembering how weak his throw had been last time, he tried to throw it extra hard. Unfortunately, the rock slipped in his fingers as he was throwing it and it splashed rather pathetically into the water. Ichigo stared at the rapidly fading ripples, biting his lip and remembering the sight of Zangetsu's rock skipping off the golden waters five or six times.

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo picked up another rock and spent another few moments preparing himself. His eyes narrowed to just the river, and the young boy envisioned himself throwing the rock and seeing it bounce off the water.

Ichigo let the rock fly, and he let out a whoop of celebration when it skipped twice and then sank. He quickly grabbed another and threw that one as well, only to feel disappointment crash down onto him as it sank immediately upon hitting the water.

**"Ya gotta take yer time," **a familiar voice chided. Ichigo blinked and looked up, seeing Zangetsu standing over him. The teenager was carrying a sizable pile of rocks that he carefully dumped onto the ground, catching one before it could roll out of reach. Stunningly quickly, he whipped the rock at the river. It bounced three times and sank on the fourth, leaving a few bubbles that popped as the river continued flowing. **"If ya go too quickly, it ain't as fun and ya don't get the same result."**

Ichigo was frowning again, but he followed the older boy's advice and picked up another rock, taking his time. Zangetsu gave some advice and adjusted Ichigo's arm, showing him that he needed to have his arm farther out from his body.

Then Ichigo threw the rock, and he held his breath as it bounced once, twice, three times, four times-

And then sank.

But it was a victory, and Ichigo's frown had transformed instantaneously into a beaming grin of success.

"Did you see that?" He asked, turning to face Zangetsu. "It bounced four times! Four whole times! That was awesome!"

**"Nice job, King," **Zangetsu replied, grabbing a rock of his own. He lined up his throw and let loose, loosely crossing his arms as the stone skipped seven times, coming fairly close to the opposite bank. **"But let's see if ya can beat that."**

"You bet I can!" Ichigo declared, picking up a stone and throwing it as hard as he could. Zangetsu's lips quirked just barely as the rock didn't even bounce once and Ichigo's face fell. "Aw."

**"Ya went too fast again," **Zangetsu commented. **"Ya gotta take yer time."**

"I know, I know," Ichigo muttered. "Take my time, I got it. Just you wait! I'll get it to the opposite side!"

**"Go for it."**

Ichigo's tongue stuck out once more, demonstrating his concentration, before he threw another stone. His immediate smile showed his confidence in the throw and he automatically threw his hands in the air as the stone bounced six times.

"HA! I did it! I totally beat you!"

**"Mine bounced seven times."**

"Close enough," Ichigo decided, grabbing another rock. "I'll get seven real quick!"

Ichigo was so wrapped up in his task that he didn't notice the way that a ghost of a smile crossed Zangetsu's face for just a moment.

**"Good luck with that."**

"You'll see!"

The two threw rocks for hours, until the last golden light of the sun had long since disappeared over the horizon and Ichigo was complaining about how sore his right arm was.

**"Dontcha do karate?"** Zangetsu had asked at one point as he threw a stone and watched it skip over the water.

"Yeah, but I haven't done it in a while," Ichigo replied, his voice sullen and a little subdued.

**"That's no good," **Zangetsu stated, glancing down at the orange-haired boy. **"If ya do somethin, stick with it until ya reach whatever goal ya started it with, ya hear?"**

Ichigo threw him own rock and watched as it skipped three times and then sank. "Yeah, I guess."

Eventually, Ichigo lay down on the small grassy hill next to the river. Tired and distracted by the day's events, he didn't notice he was asleep until he had slipped into a peaceful dream, the first one he'd had in a while.

Zangetsu watched, still sitting by the bank of the river with one leg drawn up to his chest as he continued to throw rocks. The entire time, Ichigo had never asked about Zangetsu's strangely colored eyes, skin, or anything. Not even his blue tongue.

The hollow wondered, in the back of his mind, whether Ichigo had really noticed those things, or whether he had been too distracted. Either way, it didn't really matter.

Zangetsu threw a rock as hard as he could and watched with grim satisfaction as it flew across the water, eventually clattering onto the other side of the river and skidding a bit beyond that.

His gaze inadvertently went back to the young boy dozing a few meters away, his chest rising and falling in a gentle rhythm as a breeze stirred his bright orange hair.

**"I did a pretty shit job the first time 'round," **Zangetsu said quietly, feeling the very same breeze brush against him skin. **"But I ain't lettin ya go through that bullshit again, King."**

He was quiet for a few moments before he spoke again, his voice almost inaudible.

**"At least, not alone."**

A few minutes later, a small girl with spiky hair and tough eyes walked by, chatting with a friend. Seeing the young boy on the hill, she paused, and then gestured for her friend to go on without her. With a worried frown, the friend complied.

Zangetsu watched without a word as the girl with spiky hair gently shook Ichigo awake, her eyes wide and a little worried. Ichigo blinked and yawned, reaching up to rub his eyes.

After watching the two talk for a few seconds, Zangetsu turned away. He'd done all he needed to for the night. In a single step, he vanished, leaving nothing but a booming sound in his wake.

Neither Tatsuki Arisawa nor Ichigo Kurosaki noticed the noise, though Ichigo opened his mouth to ask where Zangetsu had gone, only to close it when he noticed that the boy wasn't there anymore.

There weren't even any rocks left sitting by the river, and Ichigo blinked, wondering if the entire thing had been a dream.

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_A/N I have to wonder if any of you saw that twist coming at the end. Ah, well, it doesn't matter. This was just a cute scene that popped into my head a day ago and I needed to get it out._

_-RoR_

_Please review._


	2. Chapter 2

_So this happened. Typed it up in like two hours. I can't tell you how much I enjoy not being able to sleep. Really. It's fantastic. Utterly. Amazing._

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A teenager with oddly bright orange hair staggered down a sidewalk, one hand held to his face and the other clutching his stomach. Blood dripped down from various cuts and bruises that decorated his person, and he limped with every step, favoring his right leg. A breeze pushed his hair back slightly, revealing the bruise that was just barely visible under his hand.

After a few more steps, he paused, leaning against a nearby wall and temporarily taking his hand off his face. The black eye that decorated his face was clear, and blood ran from his nose. The injuries did nothing, however, to disguise the burning emotion in the boy's eyes.

Not even the bright sunlight could hide the darkness that pervaded his every step, and the rare person that passed by kept his distance from what was clearly a dangerous individual.

The boy took a deep breath and stepped into a nearby alley, keeping his hand braced against the wall. He seemed to find the rough brick a suitable brace, and he slowly eased into a leaning position, resting his back against the wall as he tipped his head back and let the small amount of sunlight that made it into the alley wash across his face. For just a fraction of a second, the darkness lifted, only to come back the instant a cloud covered the sun.

When that happened, the boy reopened his eyes and seemed to take a deep breath, almost bracing himself.

Pushing himself off the wall, he muttered, "Sorry, Mom." His voice was rough, though whether that was from injury or emotion was difficult to tell.

The boy began limping again, but only made it a few steps before he stopped once more. This time, however, he tensed and turned slowly, each movement full of a mix of malice and trepidation.

"Who's there, and what the hell do you want?" He asked, his tone threatening. On cue, three other boys stepped out of the shadows of the alley, clearly having been waiting for the chance to get the jump on the orange-haired boy.

"You've been causing trouble again, Ichigo. It's time you learned a lesson."

"Where'd you learn that line? It's very original."

The boy who had spoken scowled. "You're not in a position to insult, kid."

"Kid? You're barely older than I am."

"Right now, that's all that matters! It's time you paid for all the trouble you've caused to my crew and I'm going to be the one to dole out the punishment!"

Ichigo grinned, the expression razor-sharp and dangerous. "Bring it on."

One of the boys darted forward, his fist in motion. Ichigo ducked and lashed out with a punch of his own, catching the other boy in the stomach only to be hit in the side by another opponent that had come forward. He lost his balance and a kick from the first boy sent him skidding on the ground, biting his tongue to keep from crying out from the pain of aggravating the wounds he already had.

"What happened to that tough attitude, _Ichigo_?" The original boy asked, his tone nothing short of mocking. Ichigo spat out blood in the direction of his opponents.

"That? Oh, it's still here. I just wasn't sure if I needed it, because your attacks are nothing but weak to me."

"We'll see about that!"

As Ichigo tried to get to his feet, his vision blurring in and out, his reactions were slowed. Because of that, he was unable to dodge the next punch that hit him in the jaw, knocking him out cold.

The last thing he was aware of was the cool ground pressing up against his face, and then nothing.

A few meters away, a boy clad in orange pants and a black shirt sighed. His white hair waved gently in the breeze, making a sharp contrast to the hard look in his eyes. With one last glance at the soft white clouds dotting the sky, he turned and walked into the alley, past where the unconscious orange-haired boy lay unconscious.

"Hey, who the hell're you?" One of the boys asked, raising his fists. "You wanna fight or somethin?"

The white-haired boy smiled to himself, the shadows of the alley hiding his eyes from view. Even so, his pale skin practically glowed. He did not speak, but his answer was clear.

The three boys all raised their fists. The original speaker leaped forward, teeth bared. His fist came down.

With deceptive ease, the white-haired boy dodged the punch and grabbed its source, throwing the boy behind him with considerable force. The boy hit the wall hard enough to crack the brick and fell, groaning in pain.

The other two boys looked a lot less eager to launch attacks of their own, but in a rapid, silent conversation they decided to attack at the same time from two different directions.

In theory, it was a solid plan. In practice, it was doomed.

The moment the two boys split up and began to approach the other teenager, the white-haired boy darted forward, wrapped his hand around the nearest boy's wrist, and bodily threw him into the other, knocking both of his opponents down hard. They rolled, with one hitting the wall before coming to a stop. The other was out cold, his chest rising and falling to indicate that he was still breathing.

It took them a minute, but the two boys that were still conscious managed to stagger to their feet.

"F-freak," one of them gasped, wiping blood off his face as he stared at the white-haired boy.

"Some kinda monster," the other agreed, panting and occasionally wincing.

The two froze upon hearing a sound coming from their attacker. They could see his shoulders shaking, and his lips slowly stretched into a parody of a smile. After a few moments, the two boys realized that he was laughing.

It wasn't loud, but the noise was chilling. There was something off about it, something that was distinctly _wrong_ and had the boys wishing that they knew what they'd gotten into.

After half a minute, the laughter died to nothing, and the white-haired boy straightened, his hair still covering his eyes. He still did not speak.

He didn't have to.

"Who—who the hell are you?" One of the boys asked, his eyes wide. "Just who the hell are you?"

The white-haired boy attacked before the other boy could say anything, his fist connecting with the other's stomach and instantly knocking the target out cold. The boy collapsed, the air leaving him in a gasp. As he fell, the white-haired boy turned and hit the other boy with an uppercut that lifted him off the ground.

As the last boy crumpled to the ground, the white-haired boy's eyes finally came into view. The small amount of light in the alley reflected off their burning gold irises.

The white-haired boy stood to his full height and took a few moments to drag the three boys out of sight of the road and put them in positions against the wall. The boys' injuries were not serious, so the white-haired boy saw no need to alert anyone that the confrontation had taken place at all.

The smile dropped from his face as he turned to look at the orange-haired boy, who was still unconscious. With little ceremony, the white-haired boy picked him up and threw him over one shoulder. With a sound like a miniature sonic boom, the white-haired boy disappeared.

He reappeared some distance away, underneath a bridge by a very particular river. With surprising gentleness that contrasted heavily with his earlier behavior, the white-haired boy set the boy he had been carrying on the ground, putting him in a comfortable position. The white-haired boy kneeled over him and held out one hand, a green-blue energy swirling around it. The severity of the orange-haired boy's injuries lessened, until they were nothing more than minor scrapes and bruises.

Once that was done, the white-haired boy sat down a few meters away from the unconscious boy and stared across the river, his black and gold eyes occasionally flicking down to check on the boy he had saved.

It was a little under an hour later when the orange-haired boy finally stirred. The entire time, the white-haired boy had not moved, had not shifted a single muscle. At the sound of groaning, however, he tensed and looked to where the other boy was slowly getting up.

"My head," the boy named Ichigo muttered, blinking the spots from his eyes. His head pounded, but it was nothing in comparison to how he could remember it being. "What happened? Did I get knocked out? Damn, how pathetic . . ."

Something registered with Ichigo's sixth sense and he turned his head quickly.

**"I'm surprised ya didn't give yerself whiplash right there," **a soft voice commented, its double tones familiar to Ichigo.

"I know you," Ichigo said, his eyes going wide as he searched for the memories. This wasn't some random stranger, Ichigo could see that much for sure. He looked around again, taking in his surroundings and comparing them to the ones he remembered. "Did you bring me here?"

**"Yeah."**

The white-haired boy shifted, and Ichigo's eyes widened as the other boy threw a rock at the water. Instead of sinking immediately, however, it bounced. Once, twice, thrice, until it sank on the fourth. The familiar sight was enough to remind Ichigo, and one of his hands clenched into a fist out of sheer reflex.

"You're Zangetsu."

The other boy grinned, his oddly colored eyes staring straight up at the bottom of the bridge.

**"Guilty as charged, I guess."** His gaze slid over to where Ichigo was sitting, and his grin turned crooked. **"It's been a while."**

"A while?" Ichigo stood, his expression hostile even as he staggered a step before regaining his balance. "It's been years!"

Zangetsu's smile dropped and a far darker expression replaced it for just an instant. **"Yeah. I've had things I needed ta do."**

Ichigo's countenance didn't change. "I thought I imagined you! You just disappeared!"

**"Sorry 'bout that. I had somewhere to be, and ya looked like ya were doin fine with that girl."**

"Tatsuki?"

**"Probably."**

Ichigo's other hand balled into a fist. "You're an asshole," he growled. One of Zangetsu's eyebrows rose.

**"No need ta be hasty. Yer still recoverin from yer other fight."**

"Shut up!"

Ichigo made to punch Zangetsu, but the white-haired boy was on his feet in a flash. In an instant, Ichigo was on the ground, clutching his ribs and groaning as Zangetsu regarded him oddly from above.

**"Why'd ya do that?"**

Ichigo muttered something.

**"I said, why'd ya do that?"**

Ichigo sighed. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm a little bit frustrated." He scowled. "Mainly because some random guy that I thought I'd just dreamed about or something showed up out of nowhere like he hadn't been gone for years."

Ichigo shifted into a sitting position, wincing again at the pain of his injuries. He looked Zangetsu in the eye, not even bothering to comment on his strange appearance, Just like the previous time the two had met, Ichigo either didn't notice or didn't care about Zangetsu's appearance.

"I never did thank you for what you did for me," he said, his voice abnormally subdued. "I was in a bad place, and if you hadn't come along . . ." His voice trailed away, but the meaning was obvious.

**"No need ta be so dramatic," **Zangetsu replied. **"Ya woulda figured somethin out on yer own, trust me."**

Ichigo scowled. "I should've known you wouldn't accept that."

**"Think what ya like," **Zangetsu responded, reaching down a hand. Ichigo took it, and Zangetsu hauled him to his feet. Ichigo managed to stop himself from reacting at the obvious strength that Zangetsu possessed; the white-haired boy had pulled him up with no effort at all. **"So, did ya ever reach the other side?"**

"Huh?"

Zangetsu gestured to the river with his thumb, and comprehension dawned on Ichigo's expression, followed immediately by a grin. "You bet I did."

**"Prove it," **Zangetsu said, tossing a rock to Ichigo. The orange-haired boy caught it easily and walked up to the water's edge, his eyes narrowing as he began to focus. After a few seconds of minute adjustments, he let the stone fly.

It bounced across the water numerous times until, with a barely audible clatter, it made it to the opposite bank with little distance to spare. Ichigo turned, triumphant, and his smile only widened when he saw the matching grin on Zangetsu's face.

**"Well, how 'bout that," **Zangetsu said, crossing his arms. **"Ya actually managed ta do it."**

"I've been getting stronger."

**"Clearly."**

Zangetsu thought for a moment, staring out at the glittering water of the river. **"Tell ya what. I'll offer ya a deal."**

"A deal?"

**"Yeah. It's pretty simple, and judgin from how ya got yer ass handed ta ya in that last fight, yer gonna want ta take it."**

"What is it?" There was wariness in Ichigo's words, but he seemed to be willing to listen.

**"In exchange for me teachin ya how ta fight, ya don't tell anyone about me."**

Ichigo blinked. "Why don't you want anyone to know?"

Zangetsu grinned. **"Let's just say that I don't like ta be well known. My appearance has gotten me into lotsa trouble in the past, ya know?"**

Ichigo nodded, swallowing as he immediately thought of his own hair and the numerous thugs that had targeted him because of it. "Yeah."

**"So, what're ya gonna say?"**

"What's the catch?"

**"I guess ya are smarter than I thought," **Zangetsu said, frowning for a second. **"Ah, well, that's a good thing. The catch is that ya gotta be here at this same time every day, got it?"**

Ichigo thought about the offer for a few moments, taking that time to look out over the water himself. After taking a deep breath, he nodded.

"Yeah, I'll do it."

Zangetsu's grin returned as though it had never left. **"Good. You've got the desire ta get stronger. I'd be worried if ya didn't have it."**

Ichigo clenched one of his hands into fists and stared down at it, his expression focused. "I need to get stronger. If I don't, I can't protect Karin and Yuzu, and I'll never be able to face my dad again. And my mom . . . I won't be able to face her either."

Zangetsu uncrossed his arms, letting them dangle at his sides. **"Understandable, kid. Now, let's see if ya can even put a scratch on me."**

Ichigo's grin turned dangerous. "Just watch me!"

By the end of the session, Ichigo was panting, far more bruised than he had been previously. He could barely move, but his strength was rapidly returning. Zangetsu was barely breathing any more quickly than usual, and just as he had expected, Ichigo had barely been able to touch him, let alone land a solid hit.

Zangetsu was pleased to note that Ichigo's form wasn't bad. The work he had done while trying and succeeding in beating Tatsuki had paid off, and Ichigo was now a formidable fighter. What he was missing was a real sixth fighting sense, one that would allow him to react to unpredictable fighting situations and take charge of any confrontation he found himself in.

He needed confidence.

Zangetsu glanced down at the orange-haired boy and let out a deep breath, glancing up as he did so.

**"Man, that guy's got a weird hat."**

Ichigo followed where Zangetsu was looking, turning his head slightly so that he could see. At first, he didn't see anything, but then he noticed the man walking across the street and the rather obnoxious hat he wore. He grinned tiredly.

"Yeah. Looks weird, doesn't it?"

Zangetsu made a noise of agreement and Ichigo looked away, missing the moment when the man in the hat wavered and faded in and out of view, his ghostly form difficult to see in the sunlight.

Zangetsu sighed. No doubt, Ichigo knew that he was able to see ghosts. At this point, he probably still had a little difficulty telling the living from the dead, but Zangetsu knew that he would figure out something fairly quickly.

**"Time ta go," **he said, holding out his hand to Ichigo. The exhausted boy regarded it for a few moments before he reached up and took it, allowing himself to be hauled to his feet. **"See ya tomorrow."**

"Yeah," Ichigo said, glancing down at his shirt and brushing off some of the dust that had accumulated it. When he glanced up, Zangetsu was already gone.

* * *

_A/N Heh, yeah. So this is like a Zangetsu time-travel __story. I didn't see that one coming until I wrote that last chapter, really._

**_shinyshadowklefki: _**_Maybe, but that might take over a year, and I don't know how I'll feel about this story at that point. Though it does sound interesting._

_If I do upload more chapters to this at any point, it will be more oneshot glimpses like this. Zangetsu won't be doing much more than talking with and teaching Ichigo at random points._

_Adios,_

_-RoR_


	3. Chapter 3

_Huh. Apparently you guys like this, so I'll continue. Don't expect further updates to come as quickly as these, since I really need to focus on the story I have going right now if I want to finish it any time soon._

* * *

Zangetsu stood under the bridge by the river he had come to know so well. That day, the sky was filled with clouds, and there was no sunset to turn the water of the river into its brilliant golden colors. His hair was even longer than it had been previously, stretching down to his neck and hanging over his eyes. He still wore his typical orange pants and black shirt, and his skin had grown no darker.

He wondered if Ichigo was mad at him. He'd been gone for an entire year, after all, without giving Ichigo any warning.

Zangetsu scowled. It wasn't _his_ fault that Kisuke Urahara had taken an express interest in talking to him. It had taken the hollow the better part of the year to convince Kisuke that he knew what he was doing, he wasn't just going to go devour a bunch of souls, and that he needed to be let out or Kisuke's plans for Ichigo would be seriously screwed up.

That statement had led to a whole new line of questioning, and Zangetsu had ended up telling Kisuke everything that had happened. By the end of it, the usually jovial shopkeeper had looked oddly withdrawn. After that, he had let Zangetsu go, offering his shop as a place that Zangetsu could stay. Since the Zanpakutō rarely needed sleep if at all, he took the invitation in stride and only used it when it was absolutely necessary.

Despite the gray skies, Zangetsu could tell when the sun drifted below the horizon. Night fell all too quickly, and Zangetsu took a moment to wonder when Ichigo had stopped coming to the bridge. It had probably taken the orange-haired teen less than a month to realize that Zangetsu was not coming back any time soon.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. At least he had trained Ichigo for a decent amount of time; the orange-haired boy would be a formidable opponent to any other teenager who dared to cross his path. Even an adult would have a difficult time, and Ichigo would beat an adult if that person had little combat training.

Zangetsu froze. He could sense the Reiatsu of everyone in town, and one that he had become so accustomed to that he normally ignored it had suddenly flared up. The roar of a hollow cut through the night, only to abruptly die away. Zangetsu made the connection in his head immediately and leapt to his feet. In an instant, he vanished with a booming noise.

When he reappeared, it was by one of the warehouses in the warehouse district. Smoke drifted up from one of the buildings and Zangetsu could hear the distinct sounds of fighting. A distinctly familiar feminine voice cut through the air, yelling, "Come on, Ichigo! Aim for the mask!"

"I _am _aiming for the mask, Rukia!"

Another hollow's roar echoed through the night and Zangetsu clenched his hands into fists. His inactivity had been eating at him ever since he had come to Karakura Town, and he itched to summon his blades and eviscerate the first hollow he could find.

Training Ichigo was one thing, but the guy simply wasn't at the skill level that Zangetsu could really appreciate. He would beat any person who challenged him, but no doubt his sword skills were abysmal. Of course, it would be hard to explain to him how Zangetsu knew about the world of the Shinigami. Zangetsu was surprised that Ichigo hadn't realized he wasn't a living person; although, when Zangetsu hung around with Ichigo, he typically took a gigai from Kisuke. Usually without the shopkeeper knowing it.

Now that he thought about it, that was probably part of the reason that Kisuke was slightly angry with him, even after Zangetsu had explained everything. Something about "just asking". Like Kisuke was known for "just asking" for things.

And "just asking" wasn't as fun as stealing. Though Zangetsu did end up actually paying for the gigai in the end with some money he had gotten during his free time.

Zangetsu wasn't in a gigai now; he hadn't expected Ichigo to show up to their meeting spot, and therefore hadn't figured that it was necessary. Technically, he had been right.

"Ichigo, duck!"

A familiar orange-haired teen suddenly crashed through a nearby warehouse in an explosion of dust, leaving a large hole in the wall and a sizeable crater in the ground. He held an oversized Zanpakutō in one hand and was clothed in a hakama, the black cloth ripped and torn in a few places. Blood trickled out of the corners of his mouth, but as Ichigo got up he wiped the blood away with the back of his hand.

Zangetsu winced slightly upon seeing the blade in Ichigo's hands. It just looked and felt so _wrong_. Even the cleaver blade had been better than the monstrosity Ichigo currently held.

At least Aizen wasn't watching at the moment; Zangetsu had taken pains to make sure that the rogue Shinigami would have extreme difficulty with monitoring Karakura Town in the future. Of course, the hollow had managed to do so in a way that Aizen wouldn't be able to pinpoint the reason behind that difficulty; Zangetsu knew Aizen almost better than Aizen knew himself, after all.

Ichigo hadn't noticed Zangetsu; he was too wrapped up with fighting the hollow that had just blasted through the remains of the warehouse wall. It was big, ugly, and more powerful than the majority of hollows that came from Hueco Mundo.

Zangetsu frowned; most of the Reiatsu he sensed wasn't coming from Ichigo or the hollow he was fighting. There was another source of hollow Reiatsu, coming up fast.

"Ichigo, look out!"

Rukia was climbing out of the warehouse, clearly in a gigai. Already, her Reiatsu signature was next to nothing, but she was skilled enough to sense the hollow coming up quickly by Ichigo.

It was going too fast to be running; it had to be flying. Zangetsu looked up to see a kind of bird hollow soaring through the sky, its talons aimed directly for Ichigo. The substitute Shinigami would have no time to react to the threat and with a grin Zangetsu summoned his blades, happy that the circumstances had made his decision so easy. The comforting cleaver blade materialized in Zangetsu's right hand, followed immediately by an oversized trench knife in his left with the blade extending to form a kind of guard over the grip. The blades were sheer white, with the cleaver blade having a hollowed-out portion running its length on the blade.

Zangetsu was moving in an instant. His swords flashed in the sunlight, bisecting the flying hollow before it even realized that it had been attacked. It let out a pathetic dying screech as it disintegrated into Reishi. Zangetsu landed lightly, his feet barely making a sound. He kept his Reiatsu neatly suppressed so that neither Rukia nor Ichigo would be able to tell just how powerful he was. Plus, Zangetsu didn't particularly feel like crushing the warehouse district flat on accident.

He ducked, feeling rather than seeing the hollow's arm swipe over his head. Zangetsu counterattacked immediately, entirely on instinct, and cut the offending arm off in a single swipe. It crashed to the ground, already disintegrating, and the hollow let out a pained roar.

Zangetsu saw Ichigo staring at him out of the corner of his eye. The substitute Shinigami looked to be in shock, but Zangetsu didn't feel like explaining himself in the middle of a fight.

The hollow attacked again, trying to punch Zangetsu and completely ignoring Ichigo. The Zanpakutō spirit grinned, crossing his blades and stopping the fist in its tracks. With a grunt, Zangetsu pushed forward, knocking the hollow off balance. He then finished the movement by slashing the hollow across the middle and cutting it clean in half. It fell and disappeared, its Reiatsu fading with it.

Zangetsu sheathed his blades, the black cloth-like material automatically wrapping them and fixing them to his back and waist. He let out a deep breath, running one hand through his hair before he turned to look at Ichigo.

**"Hey. Long time no see."**

Ichigo was speechless, though he tried to form words anyway.

"You—it—you—what?"

"Who are you?" Rukia demanded, landing in front of Ichigo and looking as intimidating as her yellow sundress and rather short stature would allow. Zangetsu shrugged, the very picture of nonchalance.

**"No one important, really."**

Rukia's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?" She repeated. Zangetsu raised his hands in a defensive gesture.

**"No need to get hostile. I'm here to help. Ask Ichigo; we've talked before, haven't we? I mean, more than talked, but that ain't important."**

Rukia glanced towards Ichigo, who by this point had mostly pulled himself together.

"Well, Ichigo?"

"Y—yeah, I've met him. He used to train me to fight, though he's been gone for a while now."

Zangetsu ignored the accusing tone in Ichigo's voice. It wasn't _his_ fault that Kisuke Urahara was too curious for anyone's good.

"Are you a Shinigami?" Rukia asked, crossing her arms. Zangetsu shrugged.

**"Kind of."**

It wasn't a lie. He was _part_ of a Shinigami, and he was essentially the embodiment of Ichigo's Shinigami abilities, but that wasn't something that needed to be mentioned.

Rukia frowned.

**"Relax. I ain't here ta hurt ya; I said it before, and I'll say it again: I'm here ta help. Ichigo, yer absolutely terrible with that oversized sword of yers. I'm surprised ya didn't decapitate yerself with it while ya fought."**

"I'm not that bad!" Ichigo said, scowling.

**"Yes, ya are. I'll have ta train ya with that thing if ya don't want to stab yerself in the foot with it."**

"I have been training Ichigo on my own," Rukia said, her expression more than a little wary and definitely full of suspicion. "There is no need for you to interfere in our matters."

Zangetsu raised one eyebrow. In an instant, he had unsheathed his cleaver blade and whipped it at Ichigo. The sharp edge stopped a hairsbreadth away from Ichigo's head, and the swing had carried enough force to create a small breeze that blew past Ichigo when Zangetsu stopped his swing. Neither Rukia nor Ichigo reacted until after Zangetsu completed the motion.

**"As I was sayin," **Zangetsu drawled, pulling his sword back and enjoying the shock on Ichigo's face more than he should have. **"He's gonna get killed if he gets inta a bad situation. Hell, he nearly died five minutes ago."**

"I would've figured something out!"

**"Oh shut up. No, ya wouldn't've. Ya were dead meat, 'specially cause yer Shinigami friend ain't gonna be able ta help ya."**

Rukia stiffened and Zangetsu scoffed.

**"What? Ya thought I wouldn't notice the way yer Reiatsu is barely there? C'mon, I ain't stupid. It's obvious yer not recoverin yer powers the way ya want ta get 'em back."**

"That is none of your concern," Rukia said, her tone stiff.

**"Whatever. Just warnin ya."**

The trio lapsed into silence for all of five seconds, until Ichigo broke the impasse.

"So, when were you going to tell me that you knew about all of this?" Ichigo waved a hand around at the destruction, clearly referring to the world pertaining to the Shinigami. "And is that why you wanted to train me? And if you aren't a Shinigami, then what the hell are you and why are you so intent on watching me? Also, where the hell have you _been_ the past year?"

**"Whoa, too many questions."**

Ichigo's flat glare and accompanying scowl made it clear that he wanted all of those questions answered. With a roll of his eyes, Zangetsu complied.

**"Fine, fine. I wasn't gonna tell ya until ya called me out on bein dead."**

"How was I supposed to tell?"

**"Ya woulda noticed eventually. And it ain't because I know about the afterlife that I wanted ta train ya; that was just 'cause I could."**

"Out of the goodness of your heart?" Ichigo asked, his tone more than slightly sarcastic. Zangetsu ignored the question.

**"I already said I ain't a Shinigami, and what I am ain't all that important. Before ya get all worried, I ain't a hollow either."**

Rukia looked decidedly irritated with Zangetsu's vague answers, though she held her tongue.

**"As ta where I've been the past year, I've been travelin. There's some things I had ta check out in some far away cities without warnin so I couldn't tell ya."**

It was a flimsy lie, but neither Ichigo nor Rukia seemed eager to press. Ichigo didn't want to press mostly because he respected Zangetsu too much for that; Rukia was simply following Ichigo's lead, since she had no real grasp on the situation and had only the first impressions she had gotten from Zangetsu to make judgments. As Rukia knew, first impressions were not always correct, despite how black-and-white Zangetsu's personality seemed. That, however, brought Rukia back to an earlier topic of discussion.

"Why do you need to train Ichigo with a sword?"

Zangetsu glanced at Rukia, one eyebrow steadily climbing.

**"'Cause he sucks."**

"I'm training him."

**"Then we can both train 'im. Problem solved."**

"He doesn't need two trainers."

**"Then he can train with me. It ain't that hard."**

"I rather think that he will be training with me."

**"You wanna bet, shorty?"**

Zangetsu had made many mistakes during his life. Most of the time, he did not regret them in the slightest. Now, however, he sorely regretted using the nickname he had used for Hiyori on Rukia.

**"Ow, dammit!"** Zangetsu held his shin, wincing, as Rukia turned away and crossed her arms, clearly miffed. She had kicked him so fast that Zangetsu had no time to react; Shinigami powers or not, Rukia was a force to be reckoned with. Zangetsu mentally cursed himself for not remembering that. While Rukia normally was calm and levelheaded, she had her moments.

Those moments tended to be painful for those involved.

"Will you two quit talking like I'm not here?" Ichigo said, clearly irritated. "Look, I'll just train with both of you. I'm sure you two can figure something out."

Zangetsu and Rukia exchanged a look, and then Zangetsu told Ichigo to go explore the warehouses.

**"I gotta talk ta the Shinigami," **Zangetsu said. Ichigo rolled his eyes and left, not liking the way that Zangetsu and Rukia were smiling and looking in his direction as they spoke at all.

An hour or so later, Ichigo and Zangetsu were walking home. Rukia had claimed that she had to go meet with someone. Zangetsu knew that the person was Kisuke, but he also knew that Kisuke would keep his mouth shut. The shopkeeper liked his secrets just as much as Zangetsu did, if not more so. Rukia wouldn't get anything out of the enigmatic scientist.

"How long?"

Ichigo's voice was quiet; he was back in his body, and at some point Zangetsu had gone and gotten a gigai from the Kisuke's shop. Since he had figured out how to use both Shunpo and Sonido in the gigai, getting back to the warehouses quickly had been no trouble.

**"How long for what?"**

"How long have you been—how long have you _known_ about Shinigami and hollows?"

Zangetsu sighed, tilting his head back and looking at the sky. The pair was walking by the river they had grown to use as a meeting place, and the water, while not illuminated by the sunset due to the cloudy weather and since it was night, was still calming to listen to and watch. The streetlights offered comforting circles of light and cast strange shadows over the area.

The Zanpakutō wasn't sure what to say. If he said too long, then Ichigo would be more than a little suspicious. If he said too little, then Ichigo would be suspicious anyway. Eventually, Zangetsu decided on his usual strategy of "say the truth and move on". It had worked before, and it should work again. At least, that's what the hollow thought.

**"Most of my life. One of the guys I used ta work for taught me 'bout it."**

Well, his strategy was resembled something more like "say a half-truth and move on".

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Zangetsu smirked, glancing at Ichigo out of the corner of his eye.

**"Ya wouldn't've believed me. Hell, ya probably didn't believe that Shinigami chick when she first told ya."**

"Her name's Rukia."

**"Either way, I had no reason to. It wouldn't've done ya any favors and ya had enough on yer plate already."**

"Yeah, because you were trying to kill me during those training sessions."

**"Ya only had ta go ta the hospital once."**

"Because you _broke both of my legs_!"

**"Ya recovered fast."**

"I'm still suspicious of that!"

Zangetsu raised one eyebrow, bringing his gaze back down to earth and looking at Ichigo.

**"What?"**

"I shouldn't have healed that quickly. It makes no sense!"

**"Maybe it's 'cause ya have a lot of Reiatsu."**

Ichigo's expression showed just how much he believed that—or how little—but the substitute Shinigami made no further comment.

The two walked in silence, the contrast between them making the sight all the more unusual.

During that time, Zangetsu reflected on how Rukia had been looking at him the entire time during their talk about Ichigo's training. She had clearly noted the resemblance between the two—despite the odd coloring of Zangetsu's features—and though she didn't ask any questions Zangetsu could tell that she had been thinking about that the entire time.

And then the petite Shinigami had asked him about the strange coloring of his eyes, skin, hair, and tongue, and Zangetsu had improvised some answer about how his family had been able to transform their features in order to hide, much like the Shihōin family was capable of transforming into cats.

Rukia hadn't bought it, but it was enough to tide her over for the moment. She would likely bring both of the matters up with Kisuke; with luck, the shopkeeper would lie more effectively than Zangetsu. The sword spirit would have to stop by the shop that night in order to match his story to whatever Kisuke said. Otherwise, it would all fall apart.

Zangetsu snuck one last look at Ichigo. Hopefully, the orange-haired boy would get his act together quickly; Zangetsu had no idea how much longer his lies would hold up, especially since he couldn't find suitable excuses to explain his presence. Even with Kisuke's help, Zangetu's circumstances only afforded him so much time.

When Ichigo got home, he turned to ask Zangetsu if he wanted to come in, but the older boy was already gone. Ichigo shook his head, muttering that he should have been used to Zangetsu's sudden disappearances at that point.

Too distracted by his thoughts, Ichigo never even saw his dad's foot coming.

* * *

_A/N So yeah. I have no idea when the next update will be coming out, but it will probably be more than two weeks at least._

_There's no reviews that really need to have questions answered._

_This story is not going to be about action. It's just a series of Ichigo/Zangetsu (hollow) __one shots that are all based around Zangetsu traveling back in time to help Ichigo._

_-RoR_

**_Please Review._**


	4. Chapter 4

This is the last chapter I have written for this, but since I'll be busy for the next few weeks with little free time I figured I might as well put this up now. Enjoy, review, whatever. Think of it as compensation for me not being able to post another chapter for _Ichigo, Meet Ichigo_ for a while.

* * *

PART 4

Zangetsu woke up in a flash, his heart pounding in his ears and his blood roaring through his veins. Sweat covered his body and chills wracked his muscles so that he shivered uncontrollably for a moment. His mind was locked, replaying the nightmare over and over and over and over until the hollow felt that he could remember every excruciating detail at any moment at any time. He couldn't even think straight for a few seconds, his mind in chaos, but he still had enough thought to reign in his Reiatsu before anyone realized what had happened.

Zangetsu's hollow instincts were on the verge of overwhelming him but he pushed them back, locked them away in his mind once more as he slowly, slowly, _agonizingly_ slowly pulled himself back from the brink.

It took the hollow ten minutes to calm down to the point when he could breathe normally. He pushed back his hair—now a slightly stiff with sweat—and let out a deep breath, ignoring how shaky it sounded. The blankets that Kisuke had given Zangetsu were hopelessly tangled and scattered, so the hollow didn't even bother to try and straighten them out. Instead, he rolled onto his hands and knees and then pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the way the world spun for a moment as he stood. He stretched and heard his back crack multiple times as he did so, and then he blinked the remainder of the sleep out of his eyes.

The room was dark as Zangetsu walked out of it, and he took pains to make sure that he slid the doors open and closed as quietly as possible; thanks to his incredible control over his Reiatsu, he didn't have to worry about being sensed.

He was halfway through the candy shop when the clapping started. Zangetsu froze, a split second away from leaving his gigai and beheading whoever had thought it was smart to take him by surprise, but the other person revealed their Reiatsu and Zangetsu relaxed, if only slightly.

"My, my. That was impressive. You almost made it out of my shop before my sensors caught you. Where did you learn to move like that, if you don't mind me asking?"

**"Yoruichi."**

Zangetsu's tone was flat and invited no further discussion on the topic. Taking the hint, Kisuke let it drop.

"All right. Would you care to tell me what you are doing awake at this hour?" He was quiet for a moment, most likely checking the time. "It's one in the morning, after all. You may be a hollow, but from what I've seen your sleeping habits aren't quite _that_ strange."

Zangetsu regarded Kisuke with a neutral expression, inwardly debating whether it would be worth it to tell the shopkeeper why he was awake. While Kisuke was devious and often untrustworthy to those he was curious about, Zangetsu had discovered that he was extremely reliable and often his eccentric or overbearing emotions were faked.

Convincingly faked, but faked all the same.

After a minute, he sighed. It wouldn't hurt to tell the shopkeeper, and Kisuke would no doubt figure it out anyway. It wasn't as though the information was compromising in any way.

The two sat down in a different room, making sure to stay relatively quiet since the other occupants of the shop were likely still asleep.

"So, what seems to be the problem?" Kisuke asked, his usual fan nowhere in sight.

**"You'll find it somewhat ironic," **Zangetsu replied, picking at his nails. **"But every now and then I have nightmares."**

"Nightmares?"

**"Yeah. Flashbacks, I guess. It ain't fun."**

'No, it doesn't sound like it would be. May I inquire as to what the nightmares are about specifically?"

**"Everyone's deaths," **Zangetsu replied simply. **"And the times when King wasn't strong enough ta save 'em." **He hesitated only slightly before his next words. **"The times when Ichigo broke."**

Kisuke's expression darkened, and a hidden pain flashed in his eyes. "I see."

**"Tch, don't look like that. I ain't that delicate and I don't want yer pity."**

"It's not pity. Are the nightmares why you typically avoid sleeping?"

**"That, and I just don't need ta sleep much."**

"Hm. Well, I have some medicines that can aid your sleeping, if you would want to sleep more peacefully."

Zangetsu snorted. **"I'll pass, but thanks for the offer. I can handle this on my own."**

Kisuke regarded Zangetsu quietly for a moment, a debate clearly going on in his mind before he spoke. "It's your decision."

**"Yeah," **Zangetsu said as he stood up, **"it is. I'm gonna go out; but first, I gotta tell ya somethin."**

The shopkeeper's eyes narrowed as Zangetsu turned back to face him, the hollow's expression abnormally grave.

**"Look, Kisuke."**

The shopkeeper looked straight into the hollow's eyes, catching the serious tone in Zangetsu's voice and realizing that what the Zanpakutō spirit said next would undoubtedly be important, possibly even advice that came from his experiences in the future.

**"If yer gonna do the Shattered Shaft—which ya should—give Ichigo a damn Asauchi. I know ya have some in the back, so don't try ta play innocent. And I know that the creator of Asauchi was okay with ya takin 'em, but not okay with 'em never bein used."** Zangetsu's tone became slightly more accusing.** "Ya didn't leave Soul Society unprepared for somethin like this."** Zangetsu closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he let it out slowly. **"Not doin it just causes more problems later."**

"I see," Kisuke said, his tone quiet as he pulled down his hat to further shade his eyes. He appeared to be missing his fan while curiously unwilling to actually take it out. There was guilt in his tone and in his posture, as though he had already thought of the risks of that course of action time and time again. "I will keep that in mind."

**"If ya don't do it," **Zangetsu continued, looking away and clenching his hands into fists, **"I'll gut ya."**

His lack of eye contact did not make the words any less threatening, and Kisuke knew that the Zanpakutō was more than capable of carrying out his threat, especially after all that he had told Kisuke.

"I understand."

**"Good."**

Zangetsu walked away, heading out of the shop as Kisuke watched his retreating form. The hollow was in a gigai, and despite the fact that his Reiatsu was almost completely undetectable, his words still carried all the threat and menace they would have had if Zangetsu was in soul form and had held his blades under Kisuke's chin.

The shopkeeper closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and stood to go back to the projects he had been working on before his sensors reacted to Zangetsu's movement.

Meanwhile, Zangetsu walked through Karakura Town, his hands in his pockets and his eyes shadowed by his white hair. He didn't pay attention to the brilliant moon overhead, nor the stars that were just as bright that dotted the night sky. His attention was focused down, at his feet, as he kicked a pebble across the sidewalk he was walking on. Every now and then he passed under a streetlight, but the changes in lighting did not affect his pace, though at a very particular streetlight he stopped and turned, looking down the alley that it partially illuminated.

After a moment of hesitation, Zangetsu walked on, keeping his back to the alley.

The alley was where Karin and Yuzu had met their end, and Zangetsu couldn't bear to look there because his emotions went haywire, and he hated it when they did that.

He hunched his shoulders and walked slightly faster, no real destination in mind. The night was chilly, but the hollow was barely affected by the cold and he kept his eyes down, hiding their odd colors from the world, even though there was no one outside to see him.

Zangetsu, after a few more minutes of walking, suddenly froze upon seeing where he had ended up.

**"Dammit," **he muttered. **"I was tryin not ta come here."**

A breeze drifted through the air of the graveyard, stirring up small motes of dust and rustling Zangetsu's hair. The hollow ignored that, for the first time that night allowing the moon to shine directly on his golden irises. He let out a deep breath, staring down at Masaki Kurosaki's grave.

His voice was something close to wistful when he next spoke. **"You started it all, didn't ya? I gotta wonder if you'll be proud of what Ichigo'll become." **Zangetsu paused to reconsider his words. **"I guess that won't happen now, but that's fine."**

As the hollow expected, Masaki's grave offered no response. The night was oddly quiet, not even any wildlife moving around in the nearby area to make noise. The oddness of the situation hit Zangetsu almost immediately and he spun around, ready in an instant to sever the connection between his soul and the gigai he occupied. Thanks to some of the physical training he had done with Ichigo in the later years of their alliance (friendship?), Zangetsu knew how to handle himself perfectly well in a gigai and he was capable of exiting it in an instant without outside means.

The moonlight turned the world a shining silver but only increased the numerous shadows that the landscape created; Zangetsu's eyes probed the dark as he reached out his sixth Reiatsu sense, searching for anyone or anything that would be stupid enough to challenge him.

Almost immediately, Zangetsu picked up on the Reiatsu signatures of several hollows. At the same time, those hollows' roars pierced the night air.

No doubt, Ichigo would be forced to take care of the hollows by Rukia as the resident "substitute Shinigami". Since Zangetsu was already awake, he figured he might as well let Ichigo get some semblance of his normal sleeping habits.

A burst of light, a booming noise, and the glint of moonlight on metal and the hollows' roars abruptly ceased; the sounds of heavy objects hitting the ground disrupted the quiet that had permeated the night, only for the silence and stillness to return moments later. For the majority of the people in Karakura Town, the tranquility had never left.

After Zangetsu beheaded the latest hollow, he sheathed his blades and turned to face the Shinigami that had been watching him for the past few minutes.

**"Rukia Kuchiki," **he said, his tone flat as he regarded the petite Shinigami. **"What brings ya here?"**

"I wanted to talk."

**"We already talked."**

"I'm not here about Ichigo's training."

**"Then why are ya here?"**

"Ichigo may not be suspicious of you, but I certainly am. Ichigo can't sense your Reiatsu, but I picked up on it yesterday. Ichigo hasn't realized it, but I certainly can. You have the Reiatsu of a hollow."

Every time the petite Shinigami listed off something about Zangetsu that didn't add up, she put up a finger. The repetition got on Zangetsu's nerves, but he let the Shinigami have her moment.

He kept his expression utterly unimpressed even though the gears in his mind were turning to find some way out to escape the direction the conversation was headed.

**"Were ya goin somewhere with this?"**

"You cannot be trusted."

**"That's harsh. I haven't done anythin ta harm ya; hell, I've done nothin but help."**

"I would rather not take the chance."

**"Well, that sucks."**

Rukia's eyes narrowed. "And why is that?"

**"'Cause I'm here ta stay, and nothin ya could do can stop me."**

The petite Shinigami opened her mouth and then closed it, probably reminded of the situation she had with her Reiatsu. The gigai she currently occupied, though Rukia didn't know it, was only making her situation worse.

Zangetsu sighed, running a hand through his hair. **"Listen. I ain't gonna do anythin ta hurt K—Ichigo. I ain't plannin on hurtin you either unless ya do somethin stupid."**

Rukia's eyes hardened and she opened her mouth, only to freeze as Zangetsu's cold hand covered her mouth. She hadn't even seen him move, and her defensive instincts were screaming at her to stay still.

**"Listen, Kuchiki girl. I don't have a problem with ya. Hell, I'm happy that yer helpin out Ichigo. But—" **Zangetsu's eyes and tone hardened as he let some of his suffocating Reiatsu slip from his tight control—"**remember that my kindness now ain't gonna mean anythin in the long run. If ya do anythin that I don't like, Soul Society is gonna find out that a certain human was given Shinigami powers by a very particular Shinigami."** Rukia stiffened and Zangetsu forced himself to grin mockingly, even though he didn't necessarily feel like doing so. **"You heard me. Now go away; I can cover the night shift, so let Ichigo get some sleep. The kid's got school, ya know."**

Zangetsu released Rukia and the Shinigami, after giving him a long, piercing stare, turned and walked away, her steps rigid but not necessarily angry. She'd gotten most of the answers she had come for, and while the hollow's reassurances weren't nearly enough in her mind, they would suffice for the moment.

If they didn't, Rukia would find some way of making Zangetsu regret crawling out of Hueco Mundo.

She was so distracted in her thoughts that she never even bothered to wonder why Zangetsu wielded blades that looked suspiciously like Zanpakutō.

Zangetsu watched Rukia leave and then sighed, reigning in his Reiatsu again and trying to forget the conversation with Rukia. He would have preferred not to threaten the small Shinigami, but it was the only way to ensure that she didn't probe into anything too deeply.

He had left his gigai the moment he had decided to dispatch the invading hollow population, and he decided that he could recover it at some later date after covering it with some quick Kidō barriers.

Zangetsu began to walk away, towards where he could sense the opening of another Garganta.

He genuinely respected Rukia; her intentions were noble, no matter how ridiculously she went about showing them. Really, execution by Sōkyoku? That was borderline begging to be saved, especially because there was no way Ichigo would ever take one of his comrades giving up her life just so he could live in peace.

Zangetsu's step faltered for just a moment as a few unwelcome memories invaded his thoughts, but he pushed them aside and kept moving. He'd gotten over that already, and he would be damned if he became a wreck again. Hell, he'd spent the first six years after he'd come back drowning in his own self-pity.

Pathetic.

Now that he had finally managed to pull himself together, there was no way he was willing to sink that low again. His composure was going to break the moment he saw Aizen; Zangetsu knew that, and he couldn't bring himself to think about the consequences. Aizen could go straight to Hell for all Zangetsu cared. He deserved that and so much more.

Overhead, the moon shone brightly, its white light providing an odd contrast to the brilliant crimson blood that was sent arcing into the air every time Zangetsu swung one of his blades at a hollow that had been a little to eager to get the lingering souls in the World of the Living. The blood dissipated a moment later, but those few brief moments in time, so familiar to Zangetsu, felt like ages to the weary Zanpakutō.

What was he going to do when his King finally got his real Shinigami powers and found that Zangetsu was the source of his power? How was the Old Man going to react when he found that Zangetsu was no longer the deranged hollow he had been during those first few moments when he spawned in the Shattered Shaft? Would he reject Zangetsu? Try to force himself into control again?

Zangetsu reconsidered his previous line of thought. The Old Man had always been rational when in his "shikai" state. Zangetsu would have precious few moments to explain but it would be enough. The embodiment of Ichigo's Quincy abilities had not been given physical form until the Shattered Shaft either, coming into being at the same time as Ichigo's inner world did. He had always existed, of course, but more as an entity rather than a concrete being that could think and act on its own.

The Old Man had been surprisingly willing to let Zangetsu take over the majority of Ichigo's powers once it had become clear that Zangetsu—without Ichigo's stupid interference—was stronger than he was.

Really, the Zanpakutō couldn't blame the Old Man for wanting to stay in power; protecting Ichigo was what they were made for, and giving that responsibility to a hollow, a sworn enemy, was ridiculous.

Yet the Old Man had done just that, and Ichigo had been the better for it.

Zangetsu let out another weary sigh and switched the direction in which he was walking, adjusting the grip he held on his blades. A hollow tried to run from him, sensing Zangetsu's power and realizing it had no chance of survival, but by the time it had turned tail to run Zangetsu had already jumped up and decapitated it.

The Zanpakutō landed on the ground with almost no noise and sheathed his sword as the hollow collapsed and vanished behind him. He sensed a lapse in hollow activity, allowing the hollow to think slightly more clearly.

He figured that, when the time came, he would do what he always did: wing it. He'd done the same thing every time he interacted with Ichigo in the beginning, figuring that his King would be a hell of a lot more perceptive than he actually turned out to be.

That, in hindsight, probably wasn't the best plan.

Well, it had worked out in the end. Kind of.

Zangetsu scowled and tried to find something else to think about; the melancholy thoughts of the future were getting to him, and he had enough of that when he was at Kisuke's place.

With renewed determination, Zangetsu forced his mind into blankness and devoted himself to slaying any hollow stupid enough to come to Karakura Town.

* * *

_A/N Hope you enjoyed, and if you did, please review! Honestly, this story is far more popular than I ever expected it to be, and I really appreciate the support that you guys have given me._

_I suppose I should respond to any questions from the reviews, so:_

_WhoFeedYasuo: Ichigo will know who Zangetsu is long before the fight with Kenpachi, if you haven't figured that out from this chapter. I will be doing a brief scene of that fight if I ever get to it, from Zangetsu's perspective, of course._

_Still plead 5th: Yeah, Kisuke Urahara should feel bad, but he tends to push aside his conscience at all the wrong moments._

_If you've got any questions, feel free to ask!_

_-RoR_

**_Please review._**


	5. Chapter 5

_I'm going to be gone this weekend and celebrating Christmas next week, so don't expect the frequency of my updates to pick up. Hell, expect it to slow down._

_From what I can tell, you guys like this, so I'll keep doing it. It's fun to write, anyway._

* * *

**PART 5**

Zangetsu watched, his countenance nearly blank, as the infinite number of towering skyscrapers that made up Ichigo's inner world collapsed around him in a horrifying display of destruction. A muted roar filled the hollow's ears, and he could feel a deep ache rising in him as Ichigo's soul attempted to pull itself apart and mutate into something far darker than what it was meant to be.

Kisuke had begun Ichigo's Shattered Shaft training. The first parts had gone smoothly, and now, at the end of the seventy-two hour window, Ichigo was struggling to avoid hollowfying. Normally, the influx of hollow Reiatsu would have driven Zangetsu over the edge, but he'd been preparing himself for this moment for a long, long time. He kept his true instinct pushed to one side, knowing that, in the next few minutes, they wouldn't be important.

If he did let them loose, the results would be disastrous, especially for the King. Not even the Old Man would be able to do much more than slow Zangetsu down, and it would take the hollow far too long to recover his senses.

**"At least he's got a damn Asauchi this time," **Zangetsu muttered, glancing around at the destruction with a resigned look on his face. Gravity in the world had not switched yet; Ichigo was not at the point where he would be forcibly pulled into his inner world, so Zangetsu knew that he had his brief window of opportunity to talk to the Quincy half of Ichigo's powers without falling off the side of the building he was standing on.

He scowled as he looked around, his resigned countenance fading. Maybe finding the Old Man in the massive world would be harder than he had expected. It was massive, after all, and Zangetsu still hadn't figured out exactly where the Old Man liked to hang out even after spending almost a decade with him.

"I should have expected this," a clam voice said from directly behind Zangetsu, interrupting the hollow's musings.

**"Or maybe he'll just appear right behind me," **Zangetsu muttered, rolling his eyes before schooling his expression back to one of neutrality and turning to face the Old Man.

The embodiment of Ichigo's Quincy abilities was no different than Zangetsu remembered; his hair and cloak still seemed to follow different laws of physics than the rest of the world and his expression was a mix of hostility and wariness, most likely brought on by Zangetsu's hollow Reiatsu. Zangetsu took a second to remind himself that the Old Man had not grown accustomed to his Reiatsu yet.

**"Yo," **Zangetsu said, waving one hand sarcastically in greeting. **"Let me cut straight ta the point, Old Man. We've got three minutes before King gets in here and flips his shit because he's hollowfyin. I'm here ta make sure he doesn't do that, and ta make sure he doesn't become a hollow. You just do whatever the hell ya wanna do."**

The Old Man's expression never changed, though Zangetsu could see the numerous thought processes that were going on inside his mind.

"That is not how I foresee this playing out," he said eventually, his countenance unreadable. "You would only corrupt Ichigo and force him to change into something he is not."

**"Old Man, yer plannin on takin my place. Let me tell ya; that ain't gonna work. I'm stronger than ya could ever hope ta be."**

That was not a lie; even the embodiment of Ichigo's Quincy powers could tell that the Zanpakutō spirit was far more powerful than he was.

**"Hell," **Zangetsu continued, **"without somethin around ta trigger King's Quincy blood, yer powers ain't even gonna show up in Ichigo's arsenal. All ya would be doin is imitatin my power and suppressin the real thing, makin it easier for somethin ta come up and stab King in the back."**

The Old Man's expression tightened minutely, though he remained silent, evidently waiting for Zangetsu to make more convincing arguments. The hollow sighed and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. At least they weren't fighting.

**"Tch. Yer not makin this easy. Ya said somethin about me corruptin King, right?" **The Old Man nodded his head. **"Okay, well, that's just plain wrong. I ain't gonna do anythin like that ta King unless he needs it. Even then, it ain't gonna be permanent. He'll always be more human than hollow, I can promise ya that."**

The Old Man was wavering; Zangetsu could see it in his eyes. He simply needed one final push to make him commit, and Zangetsu knew just what to say in order to accomplish that.

**"Ya can help him still, ya know. I ain't gonna stop ya from doin that; I've got no reason to."**

The wind seemed to still for a fraction of a second before the destruction continued as the Old Man processed those words.

"What are you talking about?"

**"King's strong, Old Man. I ain't gonna pretend otherwise. Sure, I could handle him on my own, but I'll need help." **Zangetsu grinned, extending one hand forward. **"Ain't that right, Old Man Zangetsu?"**

After so much time spent fighting alongside the embodiment of Ichigo's Quincy abilities, Zangetsu was able to call the Old Man "Zangetsu" with no visible reaction. Before, it had seemed odd to refer to a being that was _not_ Zangetsu as "Zangetsu", but Ichigo had forced him to get over it. Zangetsu felt brief warmth at the memory, but then pushed it aside.

After a tense moment of inaction, the Old Man shook Zangetsu's hand. The hollow grinned.

**"Good. Now I'll go make sure that King doesn't get himself killed or turned into a hollow. Ya can do whatever the hell ya want."**

The Old Man nodded and then vanished in an instant. Zangetsu knew that he was most likely trying to make contingency plans, just in case Ichigo did hollowfy.

**"Ye of little faith," **Zangetsu muttered in a petulant tone, turning to where he sensed Ichigo's presence appearing. It was close, and in a moment Zangetsu had appeared there.

It only took a thought for the Zanpakutō spirit to change from the casual clothes he had been wearing to the inverted Shihakushō that had been his staple clothing during the war. The familiar material made the hollow grin most unsettlingly right as he appeared by Ichigo, making sure to stand in the air.

Ichigo noticed him immediately and didn't seem to have registered that he was standing sideways on a massive skyscraper that was rapidly deconstructing.

The kid had an odd sense of priorities, Zangetsu noted as he watched the shock fill Ichigo's features.

"Z—Zangetsu?" Ichigo stammered, his eyes going wide. "The hell are you doing here? How are you here? And why are you wearing a Shihakushō?"

**"Time fer stuff like that later," **Zangetsu interrupted, deciding that urgency was the way to go, especially given that gravity was bound to switch at any moment. **"We'll talk eventually, I promise."**

Ichigo swallowed, looking like he had a million questions. Then he noticed how Zangetsu was standing.

"How are you flying?" He asked, frowning.

**"How are ya standin on the side of a skyscraper?" **Zangetsu countered, grinning in triumph as Ichigo realized his rather precarious situation.

With a yell that made Zangetsu laugh, Ichigo began falling. The Zanpakutō quickly pulled himself together, however, and chased after Ichigo's plummeting figure. He caught up to him quickly.

**"Now, there's a few things ya gotta know about yer Zanpakutō," **Zangetsu said, his countenance the epitome of calm.

"Is now really a good time to do this?" Ichigo bit out as he fell. Incredibly, he appeared to be maintaining a slight semblance of calm, despite his yelling moments earlier. He was barely stopping himself from panicking, however, and the smug expression on Zangetsu's face was not helping his situation in the slightest.

**"'Course. Now, every Zanpakutō's got three states: sealed, shikai, and bankai. The vast majority of Shinigami ain't gonna get past sealed, and only a tiny fraction of those that achieve shikai manage ta achieve bankai."**

"The hell . . . is bankai?" Ichigo asked, having to pause his speaking for just a moment as he twisted out of the way of a flying white box.

Zangetsu let out an exaggerated sigh. **"Didn't I just explain this? Bankai is the final release of a Zanpakutō and it's most powerful state. Durin this transformation, the Zanpakutō is also at its most vulnerable; any damage the blade sustains in bankai will not be repairable in any way."**

"Then why do—why do people use it?"

Zangetsu grinned, hints of savage glee in his eyes. **"'Cause a Shinigami's power can increase tenfold with the release."**

Had he not been falling to what he perceived as his death, Ichigo would have had a much more surprised reaction. As it were, his eyes merely widened a bit.

**"Now," **Zangetsu continued, clapping his hands together. **"All ya gotta do down there is pick the right box that has yer Shinigami powers in it, or ya hollowfy and I gotta kill ya before ya tear apart yer observers." **He paused and reconsidered. **"Ah, well, Kisuke'd probably kill ya easily enough if he took ya seriously."**

Ichigo opened his mouth to reply to Zangetsu's ominous words, but at that moment he plunged into the water. Zangetsu stopped right above the shifting blue expanse that had submerged most of Ichigo's inner world due to the Shattered Shaft's effect on the teenager's soul.

**"C'mon, King," **he muttered, staring down at the shifting waters and ignoring the destruction around him as millions of white boxes formed from the rapidly deconstructing skyscrapers. **"Don't make me wait."**

A few moments later, Zangetsu saw a glow rising up from the water, and a grin appeared on his face. It was only genuine for a second; it rapidly turned predatory and feral.

**"Good," **Zangetsu hissed as the world seemed to freeze. The ground rumbled as Ichigo's inner world began to reconstruct, and Zangetsu began laughing, the sound crazed and not entirely sane. **"Good, King! Now the fun begins!"**

Behind him, the Quincy portion of Ichigo's abilities materialized. The Old Man's expression was thoughtful, a large improvement from the poorly hidden hostility that had graced it before.

"I am impressed," Old Man Zangetsu mused aloud, avoiding eye contact with his hollow counterpart. "I did not expect Ichigo to avoid hollowfication with your interference."

**"Oi, have a little faith," **Zangetsu replied, the irritation in his voice faked. He was still riding high with the fact that he and Ichigo were whole once more. Of course, Zangetsu was still going to be spending most of his time materialized. He'd done it too much already to give up on the freedom it offered. He'd use his own power, too, so that the King wouldn't notice that his Horse was gone.

Ah, the King and the Horse. Zangetsu's grin widened even more. Things were back the way they were supposed to be.

"What are you planning on doing now that you have established yourself as Ichigo's source of power?"

Zangetsu glanced back, one eyebrow creeping up as a grin settled on his features. **"I thought ya prided yerself on yer intelligence. Didn't ya hear what I said earlier? I ain't doin this alone."**

The hollow took a deep breath, opening his eyes as the clouds in the sky cleared and a beautiful sun shone down, reflected countless times in the windows of the skyscrapers that now stretched to the heavens. He let it out slowly and stretched, cracking his neck in the process.

**"Yer gonna be a part of his powers too, Old Man," **Zangetsu said. **"Yer Zangetsu too, ya got that?"**

Old Man Zangetsu stiffened in surprise for a brief moment, and then inclined his head in acknowledgement as he relaxed. "I see. So it was never your intention to entirely push me out of power."

**"'Course not. A hollow needs competition ta get stronger, ya know."**

"I suppose it does."

**"Oh, almost forgot."** Zangetsu's tone became serious, and he glanced back at the man clad in black behind him. **"I know exactly what ya were plannin on doin if I hadn't been stronger. I know exactly why ya woulda done that."**

The Old Man gave no response save a slight tightening of his lips and narrowing of his eyes.

**"It's understandable; I get why ya did it. Still, don't think that anything that comes next woulda turned out better if ya had done it that way."**

Zangetsu could feel the curiosity of his companion, but he offered no further elaboration on that topic. Instead, he turned around and fully faced the Old Man, clapping his hands together.

**"Now, shall we get down to business? I gotta get my story straight for when the King comes callin."**

There was an undisguised note of glee in Zangetsu's voice.

* * *

Zangetsu sat across from a standing Ichigo in Ichigo's inner world, trying to keep his expression as bored as possible. Given the way that Ichigo had been ranting for the past five minutes, it wasn't hard. Zangetsu had already counted the number of skyscrapers he could see in any direction, the number of clouds in the sky, and the average number of times Ichigo said, "this is impossible" in every sentence.

He averaged at least two.

"You're my Zanpakutō but that's impossible because I've seen you in the real world and Rukia's seen you and you weren't a ghost so that's impossible it doesn't make any sense! I've known you for years and you never even said a thing about something like this and I'm sure you would've mentioned something as impossible as this at some point!" Ichigo took a deep breath, running his hand through his hair in exasperation.

Zangetsu took advantage of the brief pause in Ichigo's speaking and interrupted. **"Oi. Calm down and stop speakin so damn much. It ain't helpin anythin."**

Ichigo scowled. "Oh, sure. Let's just completely skip over the fact that _you're my Zanpakutō!"_

**"Yeah, let's."**

Ichigo's scowl became considerably more annoyed. "Could you at least try to take this seriously? Did you know this all along? From the moment you met me? Exactly how long have you known?"

**"One question at a time."**

Ichigo took a deep breath and picked the best question from the bunch. "Fine. How long have you known?"

Zangetsu grinned. **"Nice question."** He tilted his head while his eyes searched the sky. He briefly thought about whether he should include the time in the future or just make something up now. After a few seconds, he came to a decision and looked back at Ichigo. **"Ever since I met ya. The connection was there immediately."**

"Is this how Zanpakutō usually work?"

The innocent question was enough to get Zangetsu to laugh out loud for quite some time, enough for one of Ichigo's eyebrows to start twitching.

"Hey, it's not funny!"

**"Yes," **Zangetsu gasped, clutching his stomach and grinning around the giggled that escaped him, **"yes it is."**

After another minute and the end of Ichigo's patience, Zangetsu pulled himself together and abruptly became serious.

**"Listen, King, 'cause I'm only explainin this once. Ya don't have any time ta waste, anyway."** Zangetsu took a deep breath. **"Any Zanpakutō spirit is born from its wielder's soul. Normally, a Shinigami would gradually imprint his soul onto an Asauchi, or 'nameless' Zanpakutō that doesn't have a spirit yet, until a separate entity would form. You, however, didn't do that. We're an anomaly because I was already created for reasons I can't give ya, so think of the process as being already complete except for a physical sword. Since Kisuke Urahara gave ya an Asauchi, all ya did was transfer the part of yer soul that was yer Shinigami powers – me – ta the sword."** Zangetsu finished with a sarcastic flourish. **"There ya go. Better now?"**

"That . . . actually made sense."

Zangetsu raised one eyebrow. **"What were ya expectin? Magic?"**

Ichigo shrugged. "Honestly, it wouldn't matter." He glanced up at the sky, his gaze going distant for a moment before refocusing on Zangetsu. "I'm running out of time before Kisuke wants to train again. This is the only break I'm getting and it's because you insisted, so I'm betting this isn't the only reason you called me here."

**"I do enjoy it when ya actually demonstrate signs of intelligence, King."**

"Shut up."

Zangetsu grinned and then twisted, calling out to the skyscrapers. **"Oi! Old Man!"**

In a rustle of black cloth, Old Man Zangetsu appeared.

**"Now, ya haven't officially gotten the shikai release yet. Normally, ta do that, ya have ta learn my name. Ya kind of already know it. So, ya have ta learn his name."**

The Old Man's expression never changed; it remained stony.

"Wait, so my Zanpakutō is sealed right now?"

Zangetsu nodded, and a look of understanding crossed Ichigo's features. **"In the future, yer gonna find that it'll be far easier for ya ta keep yer blade in shikai. It'll be more convenient."**

"I'll keep that in mind." Ichigo turned to look at the Old Man, his eyes narrowing as his brain filtered through possible names. Then he sighed. "Okay, this is really hard to do when I have no clue what this guy is."

**"Who, not what," **Zangetsu advised, hiding a grin at the barely perceptible irritation that flickered across his older counterpart's features. Technically younger counterpart, but Zangetsu didn't feel like opening that can of worms just yet.

Ichigo launched into thought once more only to be frustrated again a few moments later.

**"C'mon, it ain't that hard."**

"That's because you already know it," Ichigo muttered, though he didn't make his comment too audible. He got the feeling that Zangetsu had a very unpredictable temperament.

Zangetsu sighed, loosely hooking his elbows around his knees and staring up at Ichigo with a slightly irritated expression.

**"Look. This is yer inner world, right?"**

"Yeah."

**"And only Zanpakutō are in here, right?"**

"Yeah."

**"So . . .?"**

Ichigo blinked, and then stared at the Old Man.

"You're telling me the Old Man is a Zanpakutō spirit too?"

Zangetsu and the black-clothed figure next to him exchanged hidden, amused glances before looking back at Ichigo.

"You have yet to guess my name," the Old Man said. "Should you wait much longer, we will not deem it fit for you to obtain shikai."

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, I figured." He paused for a moment, glancing back at Zangetsu. Then understanding appeared to dawn on his expression. "Old Man, is your name Zangetsu?"

**"Finally!"**

Ichigo scowled at his white counterpart. "Hey, that was just a guess!"

**"And ya got it right. Congratulations! Now get out there before Kisuke decapitates ya for not payin attention or somethin."**

Ichigo blanched. "He does that?"

**"If yer not payin attention," **Zangetsu replied, grinning in a very sickening way, **"yes. He does."**

Ichigo was gone from his inner world in an instant, leaving Zangetsu to his own amusement.

**"'Course," **the hollow muttered, lying down on his back and staring up at the sky, **"I've got no fuckin clue what he's gonna do when he finds out I'm a hollow."**

* * *

_A/N You know, I'm vaguely hoping that the Bleach manga will reveal Ichigo's bankai before I have to. 'Course, that's not going to happen. *sighs* Oh well. I've got a contingency plan, anyway._

**_Reviews (just questions I feel like answering):_**

**general zargon:** the next chapter I post will probably be one of those "filler chapters" from Ichigo's perspective. It probably won't be more than 500-1000 words.

**kid (guest):** Unless my profile says otherwise, I'm continuing this.

**WhoFeedYasuo:** This should've cleared up your questions. I hope. I'm really too lazy to explain, so if you still don't understand, Ichigo's got his dual-bladed Zanpakuto just like the Bleach manga. He's not quite that powerful yet, but he's on his way.

**Dokubodaminabo:** Dude, you're making me nervous by reviewing like that and then staying silent for the rest of the story.

That's all the reviews that I think are important, so if I didn't respond to yours know that I did read it and that I'm not sorry for my incurable laziness.

Until next time,

-RoR


	6. Chapter 6: Interlude

_I said that I would be doing occasional brief chapters from Ichigo's perspective. Here's the first one, and you should expect it to be one of the longer ones. I already had this written before I posted the last chapter, so don't expect another update for a few days at the very least. If things get bad, those days _may_ turn into weeks._

_I'll try to keep my profile updated if anything serious comes up._

* * *

**Part 6 [Interlude]**

Ichigo desperately blocked another slash from Kisuke Urahara, only to be knocked back several meters. His feet left deep ruts in the ground and Ichigo winced as his numerous wounds were aggravated. Blood ran down from a shallow cut on his forehead, dripping into one eye and forcing Ichigo to squint that eye. Kisuke was taking advantage of that weakness and attacking Ichigo constantly from the teenager's right side, forcing Ichigo on the defensive.

The swords—a cleaver blade and a large trench knife, both black in color—that made up Ichigo's Zanpakutō rested in Ichigo's hands and he tried to avoid scowling at them. He wasn't used to wielding two blades at once and it showed.

Kisuke came forward again, his sword flashing in the lights of the basement.

Ichigo let his body take over, relying on his instincts. Zangetsu had reiterated the idea of trusting his instincts over and over again in their brief training sessions when Kisuke knocked Ichigo down and Zangetsu dragged Ichigo into his inner world. Those sessions had been invaluable, giving Ichigo that much extra time to grow familiar with his weapons, and Zangetsu's advice to trust his instincts had pulled Ichigo out of several dangerous situations when Kisuke forgot to pull his punches.

Ichigo could never stay in his inner world long, since the odd time dilation that occurred there wasn't that extreme. Still, only four days had passed, and Ichigo had already improved a tremendous amount.

While Ichigo fought, allowing his instincts to take over, his thoughts began to wander.

How long had Zangetsu really known about Ichigo? The older teenager was obviously Ichigo's elder, and their resemblance was unmistakable, far more so than when Ichigo had been a child. Ichigo hadn't commented on it, of course, but suspicions were brewing in the back of his mind. Zangetsu's status as a part of Ichigo's soul was a good reason for the similarity in their appearances, but Ichigo still found it odd that Zangetsu appeared to be older. He wondered if that was what he would look like in a few years, and found that the idea wasn't unappealing.

Zangetsu also tended to appear when Ichigo was at his worst, which he had done especially in the beginning. The white-haired boy had appeared after Ichigo's mother had been killed, and then again when Ichigo was doing his best to force anyone who had a problem with his hair to reconsider their priorities.

And the most recent time, Zangetsu had appeared just in time to save Ichigo's life, killing two powerful (according to Rukia, anyway) hollows with ease.

Rukia seemed suspicious of him, but Ichigo didn't know what to think. On one hand, Zangetsu had comforted him when he needed it and supported him in his darkest times, providing a crutch that Ichigo had desperately needed. He had never given any indication of wanting to hurt Ichigo (not including his borderline sadistic training sessions), and displayed every sign of wanting Ichigo to be as strong as he could possibly be. He was powerful, capable of protecting Ichigo when the time came, and he was apparently a part of Ichigo's soul, _made_ for the purpose of supporting Ichigo.

On the other hand, Zangetsu had withheld several important pieces of information, the most prominent of which being his status as a piece of Ichigo's soul. He still hadn't really explained his origins or how he had come to exist before Ichigo's Shinigami powers had even been awoken. He constantly antagonized Rukia (though Ichigo could at least slightly understand why he did it at times) and never appeared to show any guilt or repentance for his actions. His loyalty appeared to be to Ichigo, and to Ichigo alone. Rukia's suspicion also unnerved Ichigo; the Shinigami hadn't been wrong yet, and there was something distinctly _wrong_ with the spirit's aura, something that Ichigo couldn't put his finger on.

It irritated him to no end, though he hadn't let Zangetsu know any of his thoughts. Part of the reason for that were Ichigo's natural reservations, and the other was the way the spirit acted when he didn't think people were paying attention. His eyes would grow distant and unfocused, filled with pain, and his posture would become weary and weighed down with events that Ichigo didn't think he would ever fully understand.

And then the sword spirit would realize Ichigo was looking, and he would grin as the remnants of that strange other side vanished without a trace. Ichigo had tried to ask, but the older teenager had warned him that asking questions was not a good idea.

The most damning thing about the spirit, Ichigo thought, was the way he battled. Zangetsu had no mercy, and he was undoubtedly the strongest combatant Ichigo had ever faced. Even when Ichigo landed a hit, the substitute Shinigami got the distinct impression that he was being _allowed_ to win. It made his moments of victory somewhat bitter, but that was offset by the pride Ichigo had begun to notice in Zangetsu's eyes.

It was brief, but clearly genuine, and every time he saw it Ichigo couldn't help dismissing his doubts and reservations about Zangetsu. The older teenager reminded Ichigo of his dad, but in a somewhat different way.

Ichigo had slowly begun to realize that Zangetsu was like an older brother to him, and he wondered if what he was experiencing was what Karin and Yuzu experienced with him.

Zangetsu would talk to Ichigo without hesitation, and when he was residing in Ichigo's inner world and not helping to dispatch any rogue hollows around Karakura Town he constantly communicated with Ichigo, giving battle tips and tactics to help Ichigo gain an edge on Kisuke. His input had been critical for Ichigo, since Kisuke couldn't help him with the techniques involved with wielding a dual-bladed Zanpakutō.

Once or twice, when Kisuke got overzealous, Zangetsu had even seized control of Ichigo's body without Ichigo's permission. The first time it had ever happened, Ichigo had been too tired to really process what had happened. Only later had Zangetsu explained what had occurred (with a surprisingly guilty light lurking in his eyes that Ichigo wondered at) and apologized.

Ichigo had accepted the apology and admitted that Zangetsu's tactic of taking over his body would probably be best for teaching Ichigo. Since then, Zangetsu had controlled Ichigo's body on a regular basis when Ichigo needed to learn new techniques. The process was quick and painless, and despite the odd feeling that came with not being in control of his body Ichigo found that the method was incredibly effective.

Still, the substitute Shinigami didn't know what to make of Zangetsu. When the spirit observed the fight from the material world, having grown bored with staying in Ichigo's inner world, Ichigo found his gaze to be unsettling at best. The aura that surrounded the Zanpakutō spirit was completely opposite that of Ichigo's other Zanpakutō spirit, and Ichigo didn't know whether that was normal or not. Kisuke claimed to have no idea either, but with the way the shopkeeper seemed to function Ichigo wasn't inclined to trust everything he said.

The Old Man, as Ichigo had decided to call his Zanpakutō spirit, was the polar opposite of Zangetsu. He was calm, levelheaded, and dispensed tactical advice with cold efficiency. He and Zangetsu appeared to work well together, since one's personality complemented the other's.

The inconsistencies that made up Zangetsu's existence continued to nag at Ichigo, and the teen began to suspect that he was missing pieces of a puzzle he hadn't even begun to put together yet.

"Stay focused, Ichigo!"

Ichigo snapped out of his thoughts just in time to block a particularly powerful strike from Kisuke, and he was forced to discard his lines of thinking entirely as the eccentric shopkeeper began to intensify his attack.

* * *

_A/N I've always believed that Ichigo isn't as dumb as he appears to be in some parts of Bleach. Plus, this is a kind of AU, so he will be smarter, but not enough to really change anything that I'm not already changing._

**_Reviews:_**

**_general zargon:_**_ Ichigo would take having a hollow for a Zanpakuto fairly well (I agree with you on that), but Zangetsu is worried about how Ichigo will react when he remembers that his mother was killed by a hollow; there will be an inherent distrust there that Zangetsu doesn't want for the sake of efficient and effective fighting._

**_WhoFeedYasuo: _**_I've already answered your review via PM, but I think I'll reiterate it for anyone who's curious._

**_Ichigo's power level:_**_Ichigo, in terms of raw Reiatsu, is probably at the point where he recovered his Shinigami powers after using Mugetsu. However, he doesn't have the skill and experience necessary to use that Reiatsu as effectively as he could at that point in the series. He'll get there, but not for a little while._

_If you people haven't noticed, I like strong!Ichigo as a character, so he'll be getting stronger and stronger as this story goes on even if it's not explicitly mentioned._

_Thank you to everyone who reviewed (I only respond to reviews with questions/things that warrant a response), and if I didn't respond to your review please know that I still read it and that I appreciate the fact that you took the time to write it!_

_Until we meet again,_

_-RoR_

_**Please review.**  
_


	7. Chapter 7

_Man, I did a lot of typing tonight. Finished this chapter, helped a friend with her fan fiction, made progress on _Rewind_ and _Rift_, and almost finished _Ichigo, Meet Ichigo_. I feel so on top of things._

_Maybe it's because I'm not in school at the moment._

* * *

**Part 7**

Zangetsu and Ichigo sat next to the river. They hadn't been there for very long; five minutes at most. Even with everything that had been happening, they had made sure to come to the river as the sun was setting. It had become a tradition for them over the years that they had known each other to always come to the river during sunset.

Ichigo still didn't like sunsets.

Zangetsu still didn't care.

The orange-haired teen was sitting quietly, staring across the water with unfocused eyes and a neutral expression. His body was unmarked, but Zangetsu knew that Ichigo's soul was a different story. He was bruised, cut, and bandaged in countless places, especially his abdomen. Kisuke hadn't gone easy in the slightest for the ten days they had spent training, and Zangetsu's interference hadn't made Ichigo's life any easier. Zangetsu used far more Reiryoku than Ichigo in his attacks and defense, and though Zangetsu used his own, separate reserves that he had courtesy of his time travel fairly often, he still found himself automatically using Ichigo's Reiryoku as well. It left Ichigo feeling drained, but the orange-haired teen always continued to train even when he should have collapsed from exhaustion many times over.

His tenacity and determination, as always, filled Zangetsu with grudging respect.

At least Ichigo had become fairly proficient with his swords. Even though the teen still favored using just one blade at a time, he was more than capable of fighting with two, though he used that as a kind of trump card. Ichigo tended to keep the trench blade sheathed at his waist, hidden by white bandages that also acted as a convenient sheath. Zagnetsu knew that most unskilled opponents wouldn't notice Ichigo's second blade until it was far too late.

And as the teenager fought he would only get better; by the end of his trip to Soul Society, Ichigo would no doubt be a formidable opponent for any of the captains save Yamamoto, and possibly the oldest three. Captains Unohana, Ukitake, and Kyōraku were undoubtedly some of the most powerful Shinigami Soul Society had to offer. They had lived for hundreds of years and would likely find ways to counter Ichigo's abilities. Their bankai were extraordinarily powerful, and without luck on his side Ichigo would most likely fail against them.

Kenpachi Zaraki wouldn't be a problem. He hadn't developed his abilities to the point yet where he would be a major threat to Ichigo. Ichigo had beaten him the first time around and he was far stronger now than he had been before. Zangetsu had seen to that personally.

Zangetsu sighed, abandoning those lines of thinking. He hadn't come to the river just to think; he'd already spent his free time when Ichigo was training thinking, planning for every possible outcome of the Soul Society trip. He had even planned for after the Soul Society trip and what he was going to do about Aizen.

Even thinking about the man made Zangetsu want to punch the nearest convenient wall. Luckily, there were no convenient walls nearby, so Zangetsu settled on glaring at the water in front of him. The hollow didn't know what he would do when he saw Aizen; he couldn't even plan out possible outcomes because just thinking the traitorous bastard's name was enough to derail his thoughts and make Zangetsu rage.

The hollow reached to his right in an attempt to stop thinking about those kinds of things and his fingers closed around a smooth gray stone. He picked it up, pulled his arm back, and then shot it forward, letting the stone go as he did so. It flew through the air, bouncing off the shining water many times before clattering onto the other shore.

Ripples spread from where the rock had made contact with the water, eventually getting swallowed by the current.

"I guess I'm going to have to make it to the other shore now too," Ichigo said. His voice was oddly withdrawn, and Zangetsu glanced over, sensing that something was bothering his partner.

**"Somethin' wrong, King?" **Zangetsu didn't understand why Ichigo would be upset. He had finished his rudimentary training and had the skills to go save Rukia; shouldn't he be more . . . well, shouldn't he be happier? **"Is this about that Kuchiki chick?"**

"Rukia," Ichigo corrected, glancing over at his Zanpakutō with a scowl. "Her name hasn't changed; it's still Rukia."

**"Whatever," **Zangetsu replied dismissively, picking up another rock. He didn't throw it this time, instead choosing to hold it in his hands and run his fingers over its smooth surface. **"Either way we're gonna be rescuin her in about half an hour. Her name doesn't really matter, anyway"**

Ichigo sighed, leaning back and looking at the encroaching night sky. "Yeah, I know." His words were clearly meant for the first half of what Zangetsu had said; the substitute Shinigami appeared to be ignoring the rest of Zagnetsu's words.

Zangetsu eyed Ichigo for a few moments, thinking over the question he wanted to ask Ichigo, one he had never really asked before in this timeline or the one before it. The question had been indirectly answered several times, but Zangetsu had never been paying attention at the right moments.

Hell, knowing how he had been, he'd probably just dismissed Ichigo's words as a sign of being weak, even though Ichigo had proven to be anything but that.

He'd been such an idiot the first time around.

**"Hey, King."**

"What is it, Zangetsu?"

**"Why are ya goin ta save Rukia?"**

Ichigo blinked, turning to Zangetsu and frowning. "Why?" He repeated slowly. "That's a stupid question to ask. She saved my life."

Zangetsu frowned, the grip he had on the rock in his hands tightening. **"That ain't it. Ya saved her life; yer debt's paid. So that ain't the reason yer goin all the way ta Soul Society and riskin yer life all over again just ta save her. Ya have another reason."**

Ichigo was quiet for a minute before he reached forward, grabbing a rock from the small pile that he had collected earlier. He stared at it, clearly thinking, before he opened his mouth.

"It's hard to explain."

Zangetsu's nonplussed look indicated that the hollow wouldn't take that as an excuse for Ichigo not to speak. The orange-haired teen sighed and turned the rock over in his hands.

"It's not just that she saved my life. I mean, you've saved my life plenty of times; it feels like everyone is out to save me, even Kisuke and Uryū - in his own special way - and Orihime and Chad. But Rukia . . . she didn't have to save me. She didn't know me, and she was putting her life and her job on the line just to give me the possible ability to save myself and my family. If she hadn't, Yuzu and Karin would've died in that stupid hollow attack. I owe her for that, because it's not just my life that she saved. She also saved the lives of my family."

Zangetsu was quiet for a minute, absorbing that information. After a brief moment's hesitation, he threw the stone he had been holding. It sailed over the water, not bouncing, until it splashed into the reflection of the setting sun on the water. Both boys watched the ripples spread until they disappeared. Then Zangetsu spoke once more.

**"That ain't it."**

"What?"

**"That ain't it," **the hollow repeated, looking at Ichigo. **"Yeah, the 'I owe you for savin me' thing is true, but it ain't yer entire set of reasons for goin ta Soul Society. There's somethin else."**

"What are you, a therapist?" Ichigo asked rhetorically, though there was no real malice in his words. He let out a deep breath, staring at the stone in his hands once more. "It's just . . . It's similar to what you've done for me, especially at the start, I guess. Rukia didn't have a reason to stick around or track me down other than her job. She could've been distant like her status required, but instead we became . . . well, friends. We fought together, helped each other. She even trained me to help me grow stronger."

**"And?"** Zangetsu prodded, sensing that there was even more.

"And she's a good person. There's just something about her that I can't ignore; she's kind and caring and determined and strong and everything that someone should be."

**"Strong except for the part where she got herself captured."**

Ichigo shot Zangetsu a look. "Knowing her, she thought that would help things and that I'd stay behind. She thought it was the best possible option for her since Soul Society was apparently tracking her and watching Karakura Town this whole time."

Ichigo let out a dry laugh. "It's so stupid. She doesn't deserve to die. She was just doing her job and she did it a hell of a lot more thoroughly than what I bet is expected over there. There's no reason for her to be treated like a damn criminal, much less executed! Good people like her don't deserve to die!"

**"So ya want ta help her because she saved yer life, the lives of yer family, and 'cause she's a good person," **Zangetsu summarized, raising an eyebrow. Ichigo nodded absently.

"That, and she made me stronger. Now I can defend everyone I care about; that's all I wanted. Hell, it's still all I want."

**"Yer satisfied with the power ya have?"**

Ichigo scowled, looking at his free hand as he clenched and unclenched it. "I don't think I'll ever be. I know you know about how easily that captain took me down; there's probably more Shinigami like him in Soul Society. If I can't beat them and stop them from killing Rukia, what's going to stop them from hurting my friends? They seemed pretty stuck up and I bet that they won't like having more humans with Reiatsu and the ability to see souls and hollows."

**"Uryū, Chad, and Orihime ain't weak,"** Zangetsu pointed out, grabbing another rock from his considerable pile.

"'Course not. They're some of the strongest people I know. That doesn't mean I don't want to keep them safe. Even that stuck-up, asshole Quincy." Ichigo muttered the last part under his breath, and Zangetsu had to suppress a small smile. If only Ichigo knew how close he and Uryū would become, and the trials they would face . . . but no, Zangetsu couldn't tell him. Ichigo wasn't ready for that information yet.

"Hey, Zangetsu?"

**"What is it?"**

"What do you think about Rukia?"

Zangetsu frowned. **"What?"**

"You know," Ichigo responded, throwing the rock he had been holding for the past few minutes and watching it skip several times across the water. "What do you think of her? As a person?"

The hollow blinked. He hadn't expected Ichigo to ask that question, and the hollow didn't have an answer on hand. Zangetsu stared at the shifting waters of the river and thought over the question.

What _did_ he think of Rukia? In this timeline, she was a far cry from the powerful, stoic warrior she had become, but she was also far less burdened, far more . . . alive. She wasn't weak, and she still had plenty of room for growth.

She still had her odd sense of humor and that even weirder obsession with Chappy the rabbit. The little shrimp even had the audacity to kick Zangetsu whenever he commented offhandedly on her height or her horrible, horrible, absolutely terrible rabbit drawings. Somehow, Ichigo usually got away with slight irritation and the possibility of punishment, but Rukia had taken sadistic pleasure in drawing on Zangetsu's face for weeks after the hollow had gone slightly too far in his "constructive" criticism. She had always done it in front of Ichigo, too, relying on the substitute Shinigami's sense of humor to trap Zangetsu into being unable to get Rukia back right away. After all, Zangetsu wasn't a fan of outright refusing to listen to his king (he was the horse, after all), and Rukia seemed to have – at least unconsciously – realized that fact.

Overall, she wasn't the Rukia she would become, but the potential was there.

**"She's nice," **Zangetsu eventually said. **"Kind, like ya said. She's got inner strength, too, somethin that isn't obvious right at the start of things. Her methods ain't that great, but her heart's in the right place. She just needs someone to bring her back inta line if she takes things a bit too far." **Zangetsu paused for a second. **"Like letting herself get kidnapped, for one."**

Ichigo closed his eyes in pain at the memory. "If I had just been a little stronger," he muttered, letting the thought trail off. Zangetsu frowned.

**"If ya had been a little bit stronger, ya would've given all of the Gotei Thirteen an excuse ta come ta Karakura Town, and things woulda gotten even messier than they already are. At leat this way, we have the element of surprise. No matter what ya coulda done, King, Rukia woulda gotten kidnapped. Trust me on that."**

"I still don't like it."

**"Good. Ya shouldn't. I'm sure Soul Society is filled with idiots, anyway."**

Ichigo let out a crooked grin. "You're probably right. Why else would they go after Rukia, and Rukia alone?"

"Yoo-hoo! Ichigo!"

Both teenagers stiffened before twisting and looking at the man currently approaching them. The man wore an odd striped bucket had and clogs, topped with a cane that Zangetsu and Ichigo knew hid a powerful and deadly sword.

"Hat-n-Clogs," Ichigo acknowledged, getting to his feet. "Is it time to go, then?"

"You guessed it," Kisuke affirmed, his eyes shadowed beneath his hat. Zangetsu wasn't fooled; he knew that the shopkeeper was staring at him, silently asking if he was ready for this. Zangetsu nodded almost imperceptibly and then felt Kisuke's gaze shift away from him and onto Ichigo. "Are you ready, Ichigo?"

"Of course," Ichigo replied confidently, though Zangetsu noted the trepidation hidden in the substitute Shinigami's voice. "I'll get Rukia back no matter what!"

Zangetsu watched as the odd pair of shopkeeper and teenager walked away, their voices becoming quieter and quieter with each step they took. The hollow spent a minute putting the stone piles back where they had been gathered from and then paused. He glanced at the shifting golden waters of the river for a moment, his eyes flashing with a hidden pain before his expression closed and he turned to follow his allies.

Far above Karakura Town, the sky continued its descent into darkness.

* * *

_A/N And that's it for this time. Next time, expect Soul Society and some fun non-canon stuff. _

_For clarification, let me reiterate/answer a few things:_

_1) Yes, Ichigo is going to become quite strong. Will he be godlike? No. Will he dominate his opponents? Not any more than canon (in Soul Society, at least; I haven't decided on the rest)._

_2) No, there will be no pairings in this story. It's purely Ichigo and Zangetsu getting to know each other. I don't like writing romance at all._

_3) Will Ichigo find out that Zangetsu is from the future? Ichigo's not an idiot. Take a guess._

_4) What happened in Zangetsu's future? Bad stuff. Very, very bad stuff. Suffice to say, it broke Ichigo to the point where Zangetsu was forced to separate from him and become his own being, the details of which I hope I never have to get into because explaining it would be a pain._

_5) Speaking of that, Zangetsu and Ichigo do have two different reserves of Reiryoku. Zangetsu, however, can tap into Ichigo's Reiryoku while Ichigo cannot tap into Zangetsu's. Ichigo doesn't really even know about Zangetsu's power reserves, in fact. That reserve of Reiryoku that Zangetsu carried over from the future allows him to materialize whenever he wants and roam freely as though he were a complete soul and not just part of one._

_Hope this helped anyone that was confused or just curious. Now, onto reviews. Because I'm lazy, I'm not going to be bolding your pen names anymore. It's a pain and fanfiction doesn't like it very much._

_QueenKarin13: Already answered your question. I think._

_Gacsam: Yeah, I've written 3 Bleach stories and one crossover between Bleach and Fairy Tail. I like to think that I'm a big deal. As for the other thing, I'm well aware of Ichigo's abysmal control over his Reiryoku and his constant leaking of Reiatsu. I probably just screwed up Reiatsu and Reiryoku at some point. Whoops._

_WhoFeedYasuo: Did I answer you already? Meh, I'm too lazy to check. I think I did. Anyway, the Grand Fisher fight went as it did in canon. Ichigo's knowledge about his mother is the same as canon up to this point too._

_Lord Necrotis II: I appreciate the compliment. As for the Rukia thing, I hope this chapter went into more depth concerning how Ichigo views Rukia._

_Tovahchan: I can't wait to see where I'm going with this too._

_Harbinger of Kaos: Ichigo's mask is going to be the one with the two vertical stripes going over each eye. Zangetsu won't let him use his full-out horned mask (Resurreccion, whatever) because that would mean that Ichigo would be able to access Zangetsu's full power and the pressure would kill Ichigo very quickly._

_general zargon: I hope you enjoyed the chapter!_

_Winter's Folly: Thank you!_

_10th Squad 3rd Seat: Man, you went through a lot of my stories. Your reviews are short, but I do appreciate that you review more than just the most recent chapter._

_Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and I hope to see you all here next time, which will probably be in a little over a week if all goes well._

_Until we meet again,_

_-RoR_

**_Please review._**


	8. Chapter 8

_Happy (belated) New Year!_

_The next update won't be for a very long time. I'm officially on hiatus as of . . . well, ten minutes from when I'm typing this, when I post this chapter. Unfortunately, it's going to be quite the wait before the next one, but it should give me time to work on _Rift_ and _Rewind _for those of you that have read those Bleach stories__, as well as my schoolwork._

_Yay, exams.  
_

* * *

**Part 8**

Zangetsu watched, balling his hands into fists in frustration and anger, as Yoruichi explained the concept of the doll to Ichigo.

Achieve _actual_ bankai? In three days?

Zangetsu growled low in his throat, feeling an instinctual dislike for the doll in Yoruichi's grasp. He had no problem with Yoruichi on her own, but Ichigo was simply _not capable_ of supporting the power his true bankai offered yet. It would crush him in a way far more painful than the way the fake bankai had originally. If he tried to use it, he would die.

Zangetsu did not doubt that for a moment.

Ichigo was not going to achieve bankai, not here, not for a while yet. He would just have to use this time to intensify his training; Ichigo would learn Getsuga Tenshō, and then Getsuga Jūjishō, and then a myriad of other techniques between the two to augment his fighting style. There were numerous things he could do to grow stronger.

Bankai was out of the question.

Ichigo's original method of achieving bankai this way hadn't been a problem, because it hadn't been Ichigo's true bankai; the Old Man had simply been giving Ichigo an excuse to access more of his inherent power. This was different.

Zangetsu felt a strange tug on his consciousness as Ichigo stabbed the cleaver blade into the doll. The hollow rode the feeling, materializing in Soul Society with a scowl planted firmly on his features.

Except he appeared _next to_ the doll, which promptly fell over, but not before Zangetsu pulled the black cleaver blade out of it and pointed the tip at Ichigo. The teenager had frozen in surprise at the anger in Zangetsu's features.

**"Bankai?"** Zangetsu growled, his eyes flashing with fury as he kicked the doll away with savage intent. It flew several meters before hitting the ground once more. **"The hell do you mean, 'bankai'? Yoruichi, he ain't ready!"**

"I'll be ready in three days!" Ichigo insisted, a determined glint in his eyes. Zangetsu rounded on him.

**"Idiot!"** Painful memories of when Ichigo had achieved his true bankai the first time and the reasons why he had been forced to do so crashed through Zangetsu's consciousness but he pushed them aside. **"Yer not ready, and I can guarantee ya that three days ain't gonna make a damned difference!"**

"Please, Zangetsu," Ichigo said. "I need it if I'm going to save Rukia!"

**"Then you'll have ta save her without bankai," **Zangetsu growled, his voice low and filled dangerous undertones. The Old Man materialized next to him, piggybacking on Zangetsu's power to accomplish the task. His expression indicated that he clearly agreed with Zangetsu's words. Yoruichi raised an eyebrow at the appearance of the second spirit, but didn't display that much surprise. Zangetsu guessed that Kisuke had already briefed her on most of the details of Ichigo's abilities, which was fine.

Ichigo clenched his hands into fists. "How the hell am I supposed to save Rukia with just shikai if bankai is supposed to be such a huge advantage?"

**"If ya train with us," **Zangetsu replied, including the Old Man in his words, **"you'll find out."**

Yoruichi stepped in. "You're Zangetsu, right?" She asked. Zangetsu nodded. "Is there a reason you are preventing Ichigo from attaining his bankai release?"

**"I just said it."**

The Shihōin princess frowned. "Ichigo is strong. He would be – "

**"No. He wouldn't. I ain't changin my mind; stop tryin ta make me."**

Ichigo appeared to be hurt, and Zangetsu struggled to keep his expression neutral.

"Why, Zangetsu?" Ichigo asked. His voice was calm, but there was a myriad of emotions swirling within him, poorly hidden by his expression. "Why won't you allow me to achieve bankai? I need it to save Rukia!"

**"Bullshit!" **Zangetsu snapped, scowling. **"Yer plenty strong without it! Now ya can either train with the Old Man and I or ya can sit on yer ass and do nothin! Let Rukia die like that, 'cause yer not learnin bankai here!"**

Zangetsu could see that Yoruichi was watching the exchange, her mind clearly working as she stared at the arguing pair. Zanpakutō ignored her in favor of glaring at Ichigo, daring the substitute Shinigami to make his decision. After a few more moments, Ichigo relented, most likely out of the respect he still had for Zangetsu.

"Fine," he said. "Let's go."

The orange-haired teen began walking away and the Old Man followed. Zangetsu stayed behind, knowing that Yoruichi had some questions for him. He kept his scowl firmly in place, not trusting the expression that would emerge on his features if he let his muscles relax.

**"Well? Whattaya want?"**

"I just want to talk, Zangetsu," Yoruichi replied diplomatically, holding her hands up, palms facing the irate Zanpakutō spirit. "Is that really so bad?"

**"If ya want ta talk what I know ya want ta talk about, yeah."**

Yoruichi's eyes narrowed, and her hands fell back to her sides. "So you know about it?"

Zangetsu scoffed, crossing his arms in a clear display of his bemusement. **"No need ta beat around the bush, Yoruichi. Yeah, I know about the mask that's been conveniently helpin Ichigo and savin his life. What about it?"**

"Kisuke informed me of a few things before we left for Soul Society," Yoruichi said slowly. "The fact that you are a—"

Zangetsu darted forward, putting his hand over Yoruichi's mouth before the Flash Goddess had time to blink. A wind blew past Yoruichi in the wake of Zangetsu's sudden movement, and Zangetsu could tell that Yoruichi was still trying to process his speed.

The hollow reached out his senses and was gratified when he realized that Ichigo was still within earshot, though the hollow wasn't sure if the substitute Shinigami would actually be paying attention. Hopefully, the Old Man would keep him diverted.

**"Don't say it out loud," **he hissed, refocusing on Yoruichi. **"I don't want ta take any chances, got it, Shihōin? Just wait until Ichigo's not in danger of hearin ya."**

Yoruichi nodded, her expression quickly becoming composed once again as Zangetsu dropped his hand from her face and jumped back to where he had been.

"As I was saying, the fact of . . . your existence was given to me. Therefore, I presume that the mask is . . . also related to that."

Her speech was oddly stilted from her attempts to keep Zangetsu's secret from reaching Ichigo's ears. The hollow raised an eyebrow, since Yoruichi's speech was normally smooth and honey-like.

Zangetsu sighed, already tired with trying to keep his secret hidden. He extended his senses and located Ichigo, who was finally far enough away to be out of earshot thanks to the Old Man's efforts. He relaxed fractionally upon realizing that and then turned back to Yoruichi.

**"Ichigo's outta earshot, so now ya can talk normally."**

Yoruichi nodded her acknowledgement. "So, this mask is yours?" She asked, pulling out a white hollow's mask. The designs on it were intricate and carried subtle messages of pain and rage while its soulless parody of a grin would send shivers down a normal person's spine.

Zangetsu simply smiled in a fashion reminiscent of his mask. **"'Course. Though it ain't the real deal."**

Yoruichi frowned as the mask in her fingers broke apart and dissipated into Reishi with barely a sound. "Not the real deal? What do you mean?"

Zangetsu shrugged and then held up a hand, concentrating breifly. Reishi accumulated in his palm and rapidly darkened into shades of black and red before appearing to burst, leaving a black hollow's mask in its wake. The mask clearly was in keeping with Zangetsu's inverted color scheme, with two wicked horns extending off of it and a demonic visage far more terrifying than that of the other mask.

**"This is the mask I use," **Zangetsu said, enjoying the way Yoruichi's eyes were fixed on the mask with something approaching horror. **"It's a lot more . . . fitting."**

"When will Ichigo be capable of harnessing that power?" Yoruichi asked quietly, her gaze flicking back up to meet Zangetsu's when the hollow closed his hand, breaking the mask apart and making it disappear into Reishi.

Zangetsu knew that there was a pain in his eyes that would be impossible to hide from the keen-eyed Goddess of Flash, but he tried anyway.

**"Not for a long time, Yoruichi. He ain't ready for this level yet. It's the same as bankai."**

"You've said that over and over again. Why do you keep saying that Ichigo isn't ready?"

**"'Cause it's true. If he tries ta use his true powers now, they'll kill 'im, and I can't have that."**

"I see," Yoruichi said quietly. "One last thing."

**"What?"**

"Why don't you allow Ichigo to fight using both of his blades? Why limit him to his cleaver? Wouldn't allowing him the use of both blades give him a tactical advantage over many of the Shinigami in Soul Society?"

Zangetsu considered those questions for a few seconds. He had already thought of most of them, and they had played a part in his deciding to limit Ichigo's abilities.

**"It'll be a surprise ta the captains," **he said. **"And he needs ta get stronger in multiple fighting styles ta keep his opponents off-balance. Think of it as a substitute for bankai."**

Yoruichi nodded. "That makes sense."

**"Ask Kisuke if ya have any more questions," **Zangetsu said, turning away.

He only got three steps before Yoruichi spoke again. "Wait." Zangetsu turned, communicating his impatience clearly. "Is Ichigo's inability to achieve bankai linked with your status as a hollow?"

Zangetsu, for the second time in so many minutes, cursed the Goddess of Flash's perceptiveness and remarkably quick mind. There was no doubt in Zangetsu's mind that if Ichigo tried to achieve bankai, his hollow instincts would overwhelm him and turn him into the hollow that he should never become. After a moment's hesitation, Zangetsu replied, his tone final and brooking no further conversation.

**"Yeah."**

With that, Zangetsu began walking again. Yoruichi didn't say anything more and instead just watched him go. Zangetsu could feel her gaze on his back, but he ignored it. He had a substitute Shinigami to train, and he had three days to make him strong enough to actively fight a captain without the use of bankai or Kidō, because Zangetsu hated to admit it but Ichigo's Reiatsu control was even worse than it had been the first time around thanks to his massive jump in Reiatsu.

* * *

Zangetsu turned and punched the nearest skyscraper with all his strength in an attempt to keep his frustration from overwhelming him. Ichigo wasn't strong enough to beat Byakuya, even though he had forced the Kuchiki captain into the second stage of his bankai with surprising speed.

Even so, the Shinigami captain had adapted to Ichigo's admittedly weak skills quickly and begun countering Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshō attacks, and he was easily capable of dodging the Getsuga Jūjishō because Ichigo couldn't fire it with enough power yet because _he didn't have the goddamn training and experience he needed_!

The skyscraper let out a massive groan and creaked ominously as the shockwaves from Zangetsu's punch echoed through it. A crater was all that remained of the area that Zangetsu had actually hit, and the with a mighty roar the building collapsed entirely, taking another two with in on its way down and creating a deafening symphony of noise that grated on Zangetsu's ears. Dust exploded outwards, enveloping Zangetsu and the surrounding area for several hundred meters in all directions.

With barely a thought, Zangetsu used Sonido and escaped the dust cloud, barely refraining from punching another building.

He'd tried so damn hard to make Ichigo strong enough but it hadn't been enough, it was _never_ enough!

There was only one thing left to do: provide Ichigo with support he couldn't refuse. Zangetsu took a deep breath, reigning in his anger with great effort and extending his senses past the inner world. He brushed against Ichigo's consciousness and latched on.

**"Let me out, King," **Zangetsu said, knowing that his words would reach Ichigo.

_"No! I can handle this!"_

**"King, this ain't somethin ya can refuse!"**

_"Don't interfere, Zangetsu! This is my fight and I'll win it!"_

The familiar determination that flooded Ichigo's mind made Zangetsu's chest ache.

A flash of pain ripped down Zangetsu's right side and he gasped in shock and staggered, clutching his abdomen. No blood dripped down from the area where Zangetsu felt as though he had been cut, but Zangetsu knew that Ichigo had just received a terrible blow from Byakuya. More pain emanated from Zangetsu's foot and then his shoulder in rapid succession, making the hollow spit out a curse.

The hollow wasted no time; he ignored the flutter of dark amusement that the situation had turned out the exact same as it had the first time around. In an instant, he had pushed aside Ichigo's weakened consciousness and seized control, just in time to prevent Ichigo from getting his head sliced off. There was nothing the hollow could do to stop the mask from forming on Ichigo's face; before, in Kisuke's basement, he had distracted Ichigo with lectures and lessons and then casually ripped off the forming hollow mask before it became noticeable. Now, he wouldn't have that option.

With a grunt, Zangetsu tightened his grip on Byakuya's sword and then pushed the captain away with enough force to send him flying. Byakuya rapidly recovered his balance, his eyes narrowing as he took in Zangetsu's appearance.

The irony of the situation hit Zangetsu like a ton of bricks, and combined with the natural insanity that always lingered at the edges of Zangetsu's mind it was more than enough to force a deranged giggle out of the hollow's mouth.

Ichigo's sudden panic as he realized his situation flooded Zangetsu's mind and fed his insanity, pushing it closer and closer to the point where it would overwhelm the hollow.

Zangetsu didn't even fully realize that the madness that he contained was rising; in a battle, it rarely mattered whether Zangetsu had gone insane or not, and Ichigo was always there to pull him back from the brink.

But Ichigo was panicking, desperately clawing for control, and that was only making things worse. Zangetsu had nothing to hold on to; his instincts were taking over and he had never had a reason to stop them before. The Old Man wasn't strong enough to hold him back, and Ichigo wasn't the same as he had been in the future.

"That mask . . . that voice . . . those eyes . . . are you a hollow?" Byakuya asked, his eyes narrowing while he watched Zangetsu. The hollow began laughing harder, his whole body shaking. After a second, however, he abruptly stopped, his laughter dying away to giggles that were silenced entirely as he began to speak.

**"What else would I fuckin be?"**

"You are not Ichigo Kurosaki."

**"Yer powers of observation ain't exaggerated."**

A sickening grin stretched over Zangetsu's features as any recognition of the enemy before him faded to the background. This was a battle, and his opponent needed to be eliminated.

He leapt forward with a cry, bringing his cleaver down hard. Byakuya went to block, but his eyes widened with surprise when he realized that the black blade was swirling with energy.

**"Getsuga Tenshō," **Zangetsu whispered, and Byakuya was engulfed in a small explosion.

The Kuchiki captain recovered, though he was panting and numerous burns now decorated his skin. Even so, he appeared to be clinging onto the idea of defeating Zangetsu. The determination was admirable, but at the moment Zangetsu was finding it to be nothing more than annoying. After all, he wanted his opponent dead, and determination was only going to drag that ordeal on longer than absolutely necessary.

Zangetsu could feel an annoying presence in the back of his mind, and he tried to push it aside. He had more important things to focus on, like wiping the enemy in front of him from existence. He attacked again, bringing both of his blades to bear in a dizzying display of skill.

But his limbs weren't always responding correctly, almost as thought there was some kind of interference, and Zangetsu was forced to disengage, though he took some satisfaction in the injuries he had inflicted on Byakuya. He had already healed the injuries that he had sustained—

Wait. When had he been injured?

Zangetsu wracked his memory, fighting through the fog that seemed to have engulfed his mind, but he came up blank.

So why was he injured?

The presence in Zangetsu's minds suddenly exploded with newfound determination and Zangetsu cried out in pain as sheer _agony_ ripped through his consciousness. A voice quickly followed.

_"GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY HEAD, ZANGETSU!"_

Zangetsu froze, the reality of what had happened to him crashing down. He only had time to whisper, "Ichigo", before he was pulled from control. He offered no resistance whatsoever and lay still when he crashed down into Ichigo's inner world. A crater formed around him and pain wracked the Zanpakutō spirit's body but he didn't care; he deserved every second of the pain for losing his mind.

He hadn't even _tried_ to stop himself! The battle rage had taken control more quickly than Zangetsu had expected and without Ichigo's raw determination things would have gone out of control very quickly.

The Quincy half of Ichigo's powers arrived a moment later and Zangetsu turned away, unable to make eye contact.

He ignored the glare of the Old Man, didn't even acknowledge it.

_WhathaveIdonewhathaveIdonewhathaveIdonewhathaveIdonewhathaveIdonewhathaveIdone?_

Zangetsu couldn't think. His mind was in chaos.

_WhathaveIdonewhathaveIdonewhathaveIdonewhathaveIdonewhathaveIdonewhathaveIdone?_

Ichigo would never trust him again, not after what he'd done. There was no doubt in Zangetsu's mind that Ichigo now knew what he was; it would be impossible not to, especially after Byakuya had asked and Zangetsu had answered affirmatively.

The moment that the hollow felt Ichigo's battle finish, he pulled himself up, still ignoring the Old Man. When Ichigo collapsed, Zangetsu materialized under his own power, catching the substitute Shinigami before he hit the ground.

Ichigo's friends were slightly behind schedule, but Zangetsu didn't care. The betrayal in Ichigo's eyes was all that Zangetsu could see and the hollow quickly backed up as Ichigo struggled into a sitting position.

Zangetsu looked at Ichigo, breathing heavily and knowing that his expression was nothing short of desperate. He felt backed into a corner, constricted. His mind repeated one thing over and over again: get away.

He had to leave.

In an instant, the hollow had ripped open a Garganta and fled, leaving Ichigo and the rest of Soul Society behind and going where they could not follow.

* * *

_A/N How many of you saw that one coming? Oh, and this story is turning out to be a lot more popular than I was originally expecting. It's pretty gratifying, actually, considering that I only came to Fanfiction in the first place to improve my fiction writing in general (fun fact: I've actually written a book)._

**_Review(s):_**

**_DARKREAPER72: _**_Maybe in later chapters._

**_Dragonblaze66:_**_ I already answered that via PM a while ago. I think. Hopefully._

_Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and I hope to hear from you guys again, as well as those of you who didn't review!_

_Until we meet again,_

_-RoR_

**_Please review._**


	9. Chapter 9

_*pinches bridge of nose and exhales slowly* The next person that even mentions IchiRuki or pairing in general can take whatever device they used to type that stupid question and throw it out the nearest convenient window. _

_Anyway, it's been a while since I last updated. Expect a similar wait time before the next chapter, partly because I'm hoping they'll reveal Ichigo's new bankai soon *crosses fingers*_

* * *

**Part 9**

Zangetsu's grip on his two blades slowly loosened. The Zanpakutō spirit relaxed the tension he felt muscle by muscle, slowly letting the adrenaline that had been flooding his system fade away to nothing. After a minute of nothing but breathing and staring blankly ahead, the hollow turned on his heel, pocketed the object he had sought, and began walking away.

The blood that dripped from the wounds on his body made crimson splatters on the floor, but with a quick push of his Reiryoku Zangetsu healed his injuries.

The teenager's steps echoed hollowly on the stone floors, the noises stretching into the heavens through the hole where the roof of the structure had been less than an hour beforehand. The noise carried for some distance, the walls that would have held it in knocked down and reduced to nothing more than rubble. Sand had already begun to blow into the building thanks to the endless wind but Zangetsu ignored it, his steps remaining slow and deliberate. He ignored the stares on him as he walked, ignored them all.

If he stopped, he would snap.

So the hollow began to run, easily slipping into Sonido, and then Shunpo, and then a mix of the two techniques that sent him flying over the sands of Hueco Mundo, leaving the ruins of Las Noches and the broken body of Sōsuke Aizen far behind.

* * *

Zangetsu sat by the river, having already accumulated a sizeable pile of rocks. He'd depleted his supply twice already but he kept collecting and throwing with mechanical efficiency. Each rock bounced no more than four times off the water before sinking.

After cooling off, Zangetsu had gone back into Las Noches and conferred with the Espada and set up a command structure. Somehow, in that time, Zangetsu proved himself as the strongest among the Espada and been unofficially dubbed the "King of Hueco Mundo". He scowled harder at the memory, though the expression returned to how it had been when he recalled some of the better interactions he had had with the Espada - and the ones in which he had ended up slaughtering a few hollows who got on his bad side. He had even gotten the ex-captains to reconsider their actions. Well, Zangetsu had gotten Gin. The sly, silver-haired captain had then promised to get the other ex-captain to reconsider, and that was good enough.

And then Zangetsu had made his farewells and come back to the World of the Living, dropping off the Hogyoku with a bewildered Kisuke.

"I remember you being a lot better than this," a dry voice commented. Zangetsu only paused in his stone throwing for a moment before he resumed it, though his next rock didn't bounce at all because of the sheer amount of force behind it.

His next three didn't bounce at all either.

"Man, I didn't think you were someone who would sulk so much."

**"I ain't sulkin," **Zangetsu said, his voice flat. He glanced behind him, moving his head as little as possible and seeing Ichigo out of the corner of his eye. **"I just didn't think ya would want ta see me around anymore."**

Ichigo scowled and crossed his arms, radiating annoyance. "About that. Where the hell did you go when you left Soul Society? I could've used your help when Aizen nearly killed Rukia."

**"If ya can't do things on yer own then you don't deserve my power," **Zangetsu said, the words sounding rehearsed and empty. Ichigo's scowl remained unchanged. **"And Rukia can handle herself. Things must've worked out in the end, anyway, 'cause yer still here."**

"You're avoiding my question. Where were you?"

Zangetsu sighed. **"Ya ask too many questions, King."**

"Answer me!"

Zangetsu's expression darkened for the briefest of moments before he answered.

**"Hueco Mundo."**

"What?"

**"I was in Hueco Mundo, dumbass. Do I have to repeat myself again?"**

"No, that's not what I meant. What were you doing in Hueco Mundo?"

Zangetsu grit his teeth in irritation. **"How hard is this for ya ta understand? I'm a hollow, idiot! Why the fuck do ya think I went ta Hueco Mundo? For the scenery?"**

"I've heard what Hueco Mundo is like," Ichigo said flatly, crossing his arms. "So the scenery thing didn't really work. Just answer me honestly."

**"Oh, shut up."** Zangetsu then stood up and turned to face Ichigo, his frustration boiling over. **"Why aren't you angry?"**

Ichigo frowned. "Why would I be angry?"

**"Because I lied to ya! I didn't tell ya that I was a hollow!"**

Something flickered behind Ichigo's eyes and he worked his jaw for a moment before answering.

"Yeah, I get that you're a hollow, but that doesn't really change everything that you've done for me. Sure, the whole 'taking over my body without asking' thing and the 'going insane' parts sucked, but things worked out in the end. Now stop avoiding my question and tell me what you were doing in Hueco Mundo!"

Zangetsu had to suppress both a groan and his irritation. **"Out of everythin, _that's_ what yer focusin on?"**

"What else would I focus on?"

Zangetsu stared at Ichigo, his mind going completely blank for a few seconds as he tried to comprehend exactly what Ichigo's words meant. Then a tired smile formed on his face, broken but there. He shook his head.

**"I shoulda remembered how determined ya are."** The first time around, Zangetsu knew he had confused that determination with arrogance. He wouldn't make that mistake again. Zangetsu then sighed. **"Fine. I was in Hueco Mundo ta hunt down Aizen."**

"Aizen?" Ichigo repeated, his eyes widening. "You found Aizen?"

Zangetsu let out a small, bitter laugh. **"I did more than find him, King. I killed him and got Gin and Tōsen to reconsider what they were doin. The arrancar don't feel like challengin me, and most of them were just doin what Aizen said anyway."**

"Hold on, you _killed_ Aizen? And what's an arrancar?"

**"Yeah, I killed him. This ain't hard to understand; ya know that I'm stronger than I look. As for arrancar, they're hollows who've broken their masks and gained Shinigami powers."**

Ichigo blinked. "So they're the opposite of a Shinigami who's gained hollow powers."

**"Yeah. And they ain't as cool."**

"I think you're a little biased."

**"So what if I am?"**

Ichigo rolled his eyes, causing Zangetsu to scowl.

**"Don't roll your eyes at me, asshole."**

Ichigo rolled his eyes again with special emphasis and then smirked. Zangetsu's scowl deepened.

**"I said don't _do_ that!"**

"And what are you gonna do about it? Roll _your_ eyes harder?"

Zangetsu's scowl turned into a grin and he cracked his knuckles. **"No, I've got a better idea."**

Ichigo's eyes widened and he tensed. "You're joking."

**"'Course not. Put yer hands up, King."**

Ichigo did as he was told and the pair quickly began their fight. Zangetsu was pleased to note that he could go at almost full speed against Ichigo. It was fortunate that Zangetsu was in a gigai; without the natural limits that the fake body imposed, the Zanpakutō spirit likely would have taken the fight too far. As it were, the hollow was still perfectly capable of giving Ichigo numerous, painful bruises.

**"So," **Zangetsu said as he attempted to sweep Ichigo's legs out from under him, **"how did ya lose ta Aizen in Soul Society?"**

Ichigo jumped into the air to avoid Zangetsu's leg and blocked Zangetsu's next punch, sliding on the ground when he landed from the force behind the blow. The orange-haired teen glanced at his forearms and frowned, shaking them out before turning back to Zangetsu.

"I almost got cut in half," Ichigo replied, stepping in closer and letting loose with a series of jabs that Zangetsu was forced to dodge and block. "It was _awesome_." Ichigo's voice dripped with sarcasm.

**"Tch. Keep your balance." **Zangetsu accompanied his advice with a hard kick to Ichigo's stomach that sent the orange-haired teen flying back. Ichigo rolled on the ground twice before he recovered and jumped back to his feet. Zangetsu didn't pursue and stayed where he was. **"And ya shoulda put up a better fight than that against Aizen. Yer stronger than that."**

Ichigo scowled. "Apparently not."

Zangetsu's eyes narrowed and he leaped forward, catching Ichigo by his face and bodily throwing the other boy with enough force to send Ichigo several meters back. Ichigo recovered his balance less than a meter away from the bank of the river and quickly stepped away from the water.

"What was that?" He asked, his scowl returning.

**"What was that?"** Zangetsu repeated, venom lacing his voice. **"_What was that_? Did ya hear yerself? 'Apparently not'. The fuck is that s'posed ta mean? Those ain't the words of someone who wants ta get stronger."**

"Of course I want to get stronger!" Ichigo snapped. "I still have to protect Karin and Yuzu, not to mention Uryū, Orihime, and Chad!"

**"Then where the hell is yer drive? Yer determination? Do ya realize that outta the hollows that Aizen commanded, a lotta them are happy ta come ta the World of the Living and kill off anyone that stands in their way? Do ya realize that, without the drive ya had in savin Rukia, ya won't get strong enough ta stop them? Have you thought about that, _King_?"**

It was the first time that Zangetsu had really used his title for Ichigo as an insult, and Ichigo's scowl showed that it had hit home.

"What's with you?" Ichigo asked. "You're always pressing me about getting stronger. I think I understand why, but, well, I don't." Ichigo made a frustrated gesture. "You're hard to read, dammit."

Zangetsu blinked.

He'd forgotten about how Ichigo would no longer have the same motivation he had last time. The arrancar had yet to show up and give Ichigo more reason to fight, while Zangetsu was no longer trying to take over Ichigo's soul. There wasn't the same intrinsic _need_ for Ichigo to get incredibly strong incredibly quickly.

How could he have missed that? This wasn't the same Ichigo that Zangetsu had fought alongside in the Winter War and the Quincy Blood War. This Ichigo hadn't suffered in the same way, he hadn't had his soul broken and reformed stronger than before.

He was Ichigo, and at the same time he wasn't.

And Zangetsu was expecting him to be everything that he never wanted Ichigo to become without even realizing it.

Zangetsu sighed, running his hand through his hair and dropping out of his fighting stance. Ichigo did the same, sensing that the fighting was over for the moment.

**"Sorry. I just don't want ta see ya get hurt again."**

Ichigo stiffened. "Again?"

Zangetsu shrugged, figuring he might as well roll with whatever happened after he spoke. **"Yeah. Yer mom died, ya grew up too fast 'cause ya were helpin yer sisters, and ya suffered 'cause of yer Shinigami powers."**

"I didn't 'suffer'," Ichigo said flatly. "I did what I needed to in order to protect my family. There wasn't anything that happened that I wasn't ready to face." The orange-haired teen glanced back at the river for a few seconds before turning to face Zangetsu once more. "Anyway, I've been meaning to ask you. Why do you call me 'King'?"

Zangetsu took Ichigo's change in subject in stride. He could see the pain in Ichigo's eyes, rapidly hidden behind a mask. To anyone else, that pain would have been invisible, but Zangetsu was Ichigo's Zanpakutō. He knew more about Ichigo than Ichigo knew about himself.

**"Instinct," **Zangetsu replied.

"Instinct?"

**"Yeah. Tell me, Ichigo, what separates a king and his horse?"**

Ichigo frowned but apparently decided to take the question seriously. "Well—"

**"Don't say anythin obvious, like 'one's an animal and one's a person' or 'one has two legs and one has four'."**

Ichigo's frown deepened. "O-kay. One can wield a weapon and one can't."

**"Wrong."**

"One can run far faster than the other."

**"Wrong."**

"One is a leader and the oth—"

**"Wrong."**

Ichigo's frown shifted into a scowl. "If you're just gonna say 'wrong', then you can tell me yourself."

Zangetsu rolled his eyes. **"The answer's simple, King, I said it before."**

In an instant, Zangetsu had broken the connection he had with his gigai and leaped at Ichigo, a manic grin on his face. His hand connected with Ichigo's forehead and Zangetsu pulled Ichigo's soul out of his body, a skill he had thanks to his hollow side. Immediately after being ejected from his body, Ichigo grabbed his blades just in time to block a strike from Zangetsu's cleaver.

**"Form, ability, and power! We're exactly the same, Ichigo, so why is it that I became the horse and you became the king? What determines the leader? What makes him different, what sets him apart? Why is one the king and leads his horse into battle while the other is the horse and carries the king?"**

"I don't know," Ichigo growled, his voice unsteady from the strain Zangetsu's blade was putting on him.

**"It's instinct!" **Zangetsu declared, applying more pressure and forcing Ichigo to remain on the defensive in their standoff. **"The desire to crush and destroy your enemies, to react without thinking, to absolutely dominate a battle—that is what separates them. The question is, why should the horse remain subservient if its instincts are far sharper than those of the king?"**

"'Cause the horse is a fucking nice guy," Ichigo suggested, his voice still clearly sarcastic despite the evident strain in it.

**"Tch."**

In a motion so quick Ichigo couldn't follow it with his eyes, Zangetsu drew his trench knife and drove it into Ichigo's stomach. Ichigo's eyes widened with the sudden pain and he coughed up blood, but his blades were still locked in position against Zangetsu's cleaver. Crimson drops splattered on the ground, narrowly missing Zangetsu.

**"In order for two identical beings to gain power and grow stronger, they need to nurture and develop a killer instinct. That instinct is forged in battle, and alongside that you must develop an insatiable hunger for battle, a limitless desire to crush, shred, and slice your enemies!"**

Ichigo's eyes flickered with uncertainty on top of the pain of his wound.

**"This instinct, this desire—it's not unnatural. In fact, it forms our very essence; deep within our soul lies the instinct to dominate and slaughter our enemies!"**

Zangetsu pulled his trench knife from Ichigo's stomach and leaped back, his expression still pulled into a smile that sent shivers down Ichigo's spine. The hollow's eyes were alight with an emotion Zangetsu rarely allowed himself to feel at the risk of going insane: sadistic glee.

**"My friend, you don't have that! You use your brain to try and win a fight; you try to analyze your battles using reason and logic! You're ignoring the base instincts that lie within your core!"**

Zangetsu disappeared and then reappeared in front of Ichigo once more, resting his trench knife against Ichigo's throat. His voice abruptly became calm but infinitely more dangerous.

**"The thing is, I can't have that. I can't let you be weak. I won't stand for it, am I clear? If you want to tap into my full power, you need to grow stronger, because I refuse to give my strength to a king that's weaker than me. Your uncertainty and hesitation in battle will get you killed and I don't like that. If you don't pull yourself together, Ichigo, I'll take your crown."**

Zangetsu's grin dropped and he lowered his blade from Ichigo's throat.

**"And then I'll be king."**

Zangetsu noted that Ichigo appeared to have spaced out; his eyes were unfocused and the grip he had on his blades was loose. After a moment, however, he blinked and focused on Zangetsu.

Ichigo grit his teeth. "Are you done with your monologue?" He adjusted the grip he had on his swords. "Because I'm done listening."

Zangetsu raised an eyebrow. **"Oh really?"**

Before Zangetsu could say anything else, he noticed the blue glow coming from Ichigo's eyes. The Zanpakutō spirit then found Ichigo's cleaver blade buried in his gut, the trench blade accompanying it a few centimeters away.

**"Shit," **Zangetsu muttered. He hadn't even seen Ichigo move; maybe his potential wasn't as limited as Zangetsu had expected. The Zanpakutō spirit grinned wider. Maybe things were looking up.

Ichigo suddenly collapsed, the blood loss from his injury overwhelming him along with the sudden shock of his soul being removed from his body without warning and without the proper means. After all, a hollow's method of removing a person's soul from his body was designed to put the victim into shock.

Zangetsu staggered back a step as he pulled out the blades in his abdomen. Blood gushed from the wounds but only for a moment; it was quickly stopped by an odd white material that hardened and then vanished, taking any traces of the injuries with it.

The hollow kneeled next to Ichigo and put a hand on the other teen's wound. More white material bubbled up and then disappeared, leaving Ichigo with one less injury than before. Zangetsu then picked up the teen's swords and sheathed them, not liking the sight of them simply lying on the ground.

Zangetsu took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. His heartbeat calmed gradually, until Zangetsu was sure that he was thinking clearly once again. The Zanpakutō spirit then turned to look behind him, his eyes and expression unreadable.

**"Come on out, Kisuke. I know you've been watchin."**

The enigmatic shopkeeper emerged from the shadows of the nearby bridge, his hat neatly shading his eyes. His fan was nowhere in sight, which Zangetsu was thankful for. He hated that damn fan.

"You seemed to be going pretty seriously against poor Ichigo," Kisuke noted, his expression amused. "Was there really any reason for you to stab him?"

**"I felt like it," **Zangetsu replied. **"And he's always learned faster with the threat of death involved."**

"And you're sure about this?" Kisuke continued as he walked over to Ichigo's body and picked it up, giving no indication that he felt any strain from the act. Zangetsu did the same with Ichigo's soul and his own gigai.

**"I know what I'm doin, Kisuke. Just contact the Visored." **The spirit's eyes flashed. **"Ichigo and I need to plan out a little performance for them."**

"There's not a great chance they'll come. I haven't seen them in some time, you know."

**"Oh, they'll come." ** Zangetsu grinned. **"They won't be able to resist the chance of gainin another member of their masked army."**

* * *

_A/N Meh, this felt sub-par. Oh well._

**_Reviews:_**

_hornet07: ? Emo? Submissive? What story are you reading?_

_QueenKarin13: The hiatus is for my other stories and it's got more than a month and a half left. As for the other question, can't answer it. Personal info, you know?_

_Heavenly God: Ichigo figured it out._

_I really appreciate everyone who reviewed and I hope to hear from you - and everyone who's favorited/followed - in the future!_

_I'm thinking that for the future plot I'll do the Amagai arc, the Zanpakuto rebellion arc, and maybe something else I think up, all with special twists. I ain't touching the Quincy Blood War arc with a ten-foot pole right now._

_Until next time,_

_-RoR_

**_Please review._**


	10. Chapter 10

_For those of you wondering why I killed off Aizen when he was Ichigo's main reason for getting stronger, don't worry. I have a plan. I think._

_And you know what a good song for Ichigo/Zangetsu is? "Faceless" by Red. I was just listening to the lyrics and I realized that they fit pretty nicely._

_Anyway, on with the chapter._

* * *

Part 10

**"So, Kisuke. What's the situation?"**

The enigmatic shopkeeper pulled his hat over his eyes in an instinctive movement. "They're aware. And they're very interested in Ichigo."

**"That ain't surprisin, though it ain't 'cause King's an interestin guy. How long 'till they start actin?"**

"Two days at most, though they will most likely come sooner rather than later. I would advise you to be careful; there is no telling how they will react to you."

Zangetsu simply grinned in a way that Kisuke found to be extraordinarily concerning. It unsettled the shopkeeper that there was another being in existence that was harder to read than he, to the point where Kisuke himself couldn't read him.

But Kisuke had learned to trust Zangetsu, so the shopkeeper kept his concerns hidden as Zangetsu walked past him, towards the room where Ichigo lay unconscious. Kisuke followed, wondering exactly what Zangetsu had planned.

Judging from what the Zanpakutō had told Kisuke over the years, he was generally following the original timeline with a few minor changes. It bothered Kisuke that he didn't know exactly what those "minor changes" were, or how they would really affect the future. The lack of knowledge was frustrating, and Zangetsu didn't seem eager to tell Kisuke exactly what his plans were.

Kisuke sighed almost inaudibly, releasing his frustration for the time being. He could devote more of his time to thinking later; for now, he had to focus on assisting Zangetsu so that he and Ichigo would be ready when the Visored showed up.

Zangetsu stopped in the room where Ichigo was resting and sat across from where Ichigo was lying on a mat on the floor. He glanced up at Kisuke.

**"Don't try anythin stupid," **the Zanpakutō warned. Kisuke waved a hand.

"I have no idea what you're referring to," Kisuke replied lightly. All he received was a raised eyebrow before Zangetsu disappeared, returning to Ichigo's inner world. The Zanpakutō's gigai sat against one wall, limp and lifeless. Kisuke found the idea of a Zanpakutō having a gigai strange – as he had since the beginning – but at least Zangetsu was paying for the gigai now, instead of just stealing it.

* * *

Zangetsu stood on one of the skyscrapers in Ichigo's inner world. He let out a deep breath while stretching and cracking several joints as he let most of the tension he had been feeling during the past few hours bleed out of his muscles. There was something about Ichigo's inner world that calmed Zangetsu; maybe it was the familiar surroundings, or perhaps it was Ichigo's Reiatsu that saturated every surface.

The hollow turned and saw the manifestation of Ichigo's Quincy powers standing behind him.

**"What is it?"**

The Old Man merely inclined his head up to the sky and said, "look."

Clouds covered the sun, dark and threatening rain. It wasn't raining yet, however, and Zangetsu winced.

**"My bad. I'll fix it."**

"See that you do. Ichigo is that way." Old Man Zangetsu pointed and then went back to his usual meditation, leaving Zangetsu in peace.

The hollow knew that the Old Man was concentrating on increasing Ichigo's inherent Quincy abilities, so that when the time came for them to be used, they would be as strong as possible. It was something that the Quincy spirit had not had time to do in the previous timeline. Zangetsu wasn't sure how that would affect the future, but he couldn't bring himself to care about it that much.

Then the hollow thought about how he had affected the future and couldn't stop the somewhat-hysterical laughter that bubbled out of his throat.

Aizen was _dead_. By his own hands. He wouldn't come back, he wouldn't endanger anyone anymore. Sure, Ichigo wouldn't get as strong as quickly, but Zangetsu would find a different way.

Because keeping Aizen alive wasn't worth it. It wasn't worth the thousands of deaths that came from the war, the sacrifices of Ichigo's friends and family, the sacrifice of Ichigo himself—it simply wasn't worth the risks. Most of the Espada were dead, but Zangetsu had left clear instructions for Grimmjow and Ulquiorra.

When the time came for the Quincy to return, Ichigo would be ready.

With a sigh, Zangetsu began leaping from building to building in the direction that his other half had pointed. He pushed his previous thoughts aside in favor of focusing on the present so that Ichigo wouldn't notice that anything was amiss. It took less than a minute for the Zanpakutō spirit to find Ichigo, and when he did it was a simple matter to approach the unconscious substitute Shinigami.

Zangetsu couldn't help feeling amused that Ichigo was unconscious in the real world and in his inner world, though he knew that the latter fact was only true because he hadn't woken Ichigo up yet. Moving almost silently, Zangetsu walked up to Ichigo and kneeled down next to him. He stretched out a hand, about to shake Ichigo awake, but he hesitated. The hesitation lasted for only a moment, and soon Zangetsu was forced to jump back from a retaliatory punch as Ichigo returned to consciousness.

**"Oi! Watch it, King!"**

Ichigo sat up, blinking as he looked around and cleared the sleep from his mind, almost as though he hadn't just instinctively attacked the person that had woken him up.

"Zangetsu?" He muttered, rubbing his eyes. He suddenly froze, his eyes shooting wide open, before he put his hands to his stomach and checked for wounds. Realizing there were none, Ichigo let out a sigh of relief. The substitute Shinigami then looked back at Zangetsu, now wide-awake. "Didn't you stab me in the stomach?"

Zangetsu shrugged. **"Maybe."**

Ichigo scowled. "'Maybe'?" He repeated. "What kind of answer is that? Either you stabbed me in the stomach or you didn't!"

**"Let's go with the second option, then," **Zangetsu drawled. He abruptly became serious. **"But I wasn't kiddin about what I said, King. Learn ta use yer instincts or ya won't be the one controllin yer body."**

Ichigo's scowl deepened. "Yeah, I remember." The substitute Shinigami climbed to his feet, automatically checking to make sure that he had his blades. Zangetsu subconsciously nodded in approval before checking himself and stopping.

**"Anyway, there's somethin else we need ta talk about that has somethin ta do with that."**

"And that would be what, exactly?" Ichigo asked.

**"The Visored are com in, accordin ta Hat-n-Clogs. And before ya ask, the Visored are Shinigami with hollow powers too. They're pretty secretive and distrustin of strangers. If yer lucky, they probably won't gut ya at first sight."**

"That's real comforting."

**"Here for ya, King. Now, we need things ta go the way they're probably expectin, at least in part."**

"All right. How are these guys expecting it to go? We all go insane together?"

Zangetsu eyed Ichigo for a moment. **"Yer takin this real calmly."**

Ichigo shrugged. "How else would I take it? Freaking out isn't going to do anything, though I have to admit that it's hard to believe. Why would Shinigami with hollow powers give a damn about me?"

**"Well, yer another Shinigami with hollow powers. Hat-n-Clogs said their numbers ain't that big, so they're lookin for new recruits."**

"Makes sense. Okay, I'm listening."

**"Kisuke was sayin that it's best if we do what they expect so that they don't get too suspicious. So we're gonna be puttin on a show, and usin yer spiritual body ta do it. Ya see, if you aren't in control of yer body and neither am I, yer base instincts—yeah, the same ones I want ya ta tap into—will take control and slowly turn ya into a hollow over the course of just over one hour. That's what the Visored want; ta them, that's the time when ya would have ta fight me and suppress me so that ya wouldn't have ta deal with me takin over yer body. They're gonna be tryin ta help ya, so ya shouldn't have any reason ta think otherwise."**

"All right. So you're saying that I'm going to be faking having a hollow problem?"

Zangetsu grinned. **"Oh, if ya don't get yer act together in the next few days, ya won't be fakin."**

Ichigo sighed. "So that's how it is. Fine. Anything else I should know?"

**"Nothin I feel like tellin ya."**

The Zanpakutō and teenager descended into silence and sat back down, both sensing that remaining standing would be pointless. Ichigo knew he didn't want to wake up just yet; he had finished his schoolwork and the longer he went without seeing his dad's face, the better.

Ichigo stared at the infinite number of skyscrapers that occupied his inner world, his expression becoming neutral but thoughtful. He opened his mouth and then closed it, appearing as though he wanted to speak but didn't quite know how to say the words.

Zangetsu watched him, unsure as to what his king was going to ask. If it was about using Zangetsu's full power, the hollow didn't know what he would say. Ichigo would most likely be able to survive the power boost of his most basic hollow mask now, but it would still be incredibly difficult for him to handle, much less use in a fight. The mask itself was a massive boost that Ichigo needed practice to use to its fullest potential, and the mask was only a tiny fraction of Ichigo's hollow capabilities. Zangetsu could limit it, and he would, but it wouldn't be easy.

There was always the chance that Ichigo would ask something else, as well. Zangetsu wasn't sure, and it was driving him up the wall. The hollow belatedly realized that he was fidgeting and quickly stopped himself, but not before noticing that Ichigo was now looking at him.

**"What?"** The hollow asked, his tone a bit harsher than he had intended it to be.

"I've been thinking about this for a while," Ichigo replied, drawing up his knees and resting his arms on them. "And I don't think I can wait any longer to ask you about it."

A pit of dread quickly formed in Zangetsu's stomach and spread even more rapidly than it had started.

**"Then go ahead and ask it," **Zangetsu said, his voice far more dismissive than the hollow really felt.

Ichigo sighed. "It's stupid."

**"Then don't ask it. I don't care."**

Zangetsu quickly registered Ichigo's scowl but elected to ignore it.

"Are you from the future?"

Zangetsu choked on air and then began to cough. Ichigo simply watched him, his expression unreadable. It took Zangetsu almost a minute to get his breath back, and during that time his dread had expanded to fill his entire body. Even worse, anxiety had arrived and was making it far more difficult for Zangetsu to speak.

**"What kinda question is that?" **Zangetsu asked, massaging his throat while he looked sidelong at Ichigo.

"Don't lie to me," Ichigo said. "Your reaction just made it pretty obvious, so tell me the truth."

**"Tch. I didn't lie. I just didn't answer yer question."**

"Well, I'm asking you to answer it now."

Zangetsu opened his mouth and then closed it, pain flickering behind his eyes before he closed them and took a deep breath. The loyalty he had to Ichigo made it impossible for Zangetsu to lie in the face of such a direct question.

**"Yeah," **he said, his voice subdued. **"I am."**

"I knew it," Ichigo said immediately, looking pleased with himself for a moment before his expression became more serious. "How far, anyway?"

**"Fifteen years," **Zangetsu muttered, finding something incredibly interesting in the skyscrapers far away. **"Fifteen years, two months, four days."**

Ichigo's expression went blank as the shock of that information registered with his mind.

"Y-you knew me when I was thirty?"

Zangetsu shook his head, his mood noticeably deteriorating with every second that passed. **"No. Ya didn't look like ya were thirty."** He muttered something else on top of that, the words impossible to hear.

"What was that?"

**"I said ya didn't make it ta thirty anyway."**

The words hit Ichigo like a punch to the gut and the blood drained from his face.

"I died?" He said, struggling with the words as much as the idea. Zangetsu nodded wordlessly, his expression tight with pain. "But . . . I thought Zanpakutō die with their partners, don't they?"

**"I ain't a normal Zanpakutō, King."** Zangetsu took a deep breath. **"In the moments before ya died . . . ya severed our connection and made me a separate being."**

"I . . . I what?"

**"Ya kicked me out," **Zangetsu said, his voice coming out as a hiss between his teeth. It was impossible to tell what the Zanpakutō was feeling. **"So that I would survive and save yer friends when you couldn't."**

Ichigo swallowed, looking down at his hands as he clenched and unclenched them. "I can't believe . . . why would I do something like that?"

**"Because I told ya to," **Zangetsu hissed, closing his eyes in pain at the memories no doubt flooding through his mind. **"Ya weren't gonna make it—ya'd just fought and beat Aizen but the cost was almost all of yer power. Ya couldn't even heal yerself, and there was no one left that could even physically touch ya. Orihime and Rukia were still locked in the depths of Las Noches under the care of Aizen's torturers, like ya had been for two years, and ya were desperate ta get 'em out.**

**"By the time I got back, ya were on the brink of death. Orihime did all she could, but she was almost dead herself and couldn't do more than get ya in a coma."**

Zangetsu shuddered, his expression squeezing with pain as his voice became strangled.

**"Ya died three months later." **Zangetsu shuddered again and drew into himself. **"On the anniversary of our mom's death, and only a few months before I was sent back."**

"Zangetsu, I—"

**"SHUT UP!"**

Zangetsu winced, his sudden outburst dying away but his frustration remaining. He continued, his voice quieter. **"Just . . . shut up. I ain't ready ta really talk about it with ya. Maybe when yer older."**

"But—"

**"Let it go, King," **Zangetsu growled, getting to his feet. **"Or I'll make ya."**

Ichigo let out a deep breath before he stood up and offered Zangetsu a hand. The hollow scowled at it before hitting it away and getting to his feet on his own.

"Fine, then." Ichigo stepped back, his eyes flashing. Zangetsu ignored him and looked in the opposite direction, trying to steady his breathing and calm his thoughts. "If that's how it is."

His words hung in empty air, but his actions drowned them out.

Moving almost silently, Ichigo reached up and unsheathed his Zanpakutō, the metal silent against the cloth material that made up the sheath and wrapped around the hilt.

Zangetsu stilled entirely. He could hear exactly what Ichigo was doing, and he wasn't sure if it was a good idea. His anger had overwhelmed him for a moment earlier, prompting him to shout at Ichigo because Zangetsu needed him to _be. Quiet._ If what Ichigo was planning went sour, there was a very real chance that their "fake" battle for control of Ichigo's body would become all too real.

The Zanpakutō's breathing hitched when he was hit by a sudden memory that overwhelmed him before he could push it down.

_Ichigo stood in his inner world, watching as the sun set in a brilliant explosion of color that turned the distant horizon into an incredible mixture of light._

_Zangetsu stood beside him, tense and wary._

_For the fifth time in a minute, Ichigo glanced over at Zangetsu, smirked, and turned away._

_Finally having enough, Zangetsu turned to his partner and said, with an audible growl, **"The hell? Why do ya keep lookin at me like that?"**_

_Ichigo's lips twisted again, though now Zangetsu realized that his smile contained far more pain than the hollow had at first thought._

_"It's nothing," Ichigo said, shaking his head once more. The motion caused his long orange hair to fall across his face, but the twenty-two year old paid it no mind. "Just . . . you've gotten so much more serious since I first met you."_

**_"Che. Don't tell me yer gettin all sentimental on me now. Makes ya sound weak."_**

_"Ah, put a sock in it," Ichigo said amicably, no bite in his voice._

_The two watched the sunset for a few minutes longer, finding comfort in each others' presences. The camaraderie between them was obvious to any observer, including a black-cloaked man meditating some distance away._

_"Anyway," Ichigo said, glancing over at Zangetsu once again. "You need to loosen up. Breathe a little. Let loose."_

_Zangetsu nearly laughed out loud. **"'Let loose'? What the hell does that mean?"**_

_Ichigo shrugged, his eyes shining with dry humor._

_"I dunno. You used to do it all the time."_

**_"Not all the time."_**

_"Oh, right. There were the times where I kicked your ass and you had to recover."_

**_"That never happened."_**

_"Whatever helps you sleep at night. But seriously, relax. Being calm is one thing, but suppressing your instincts in favor of rationality isn't what you need to do right now." Ichigo paused to smirk a little. "Please tell me you're getting the irony here too."_

**_"It's hard to miss."_**

_The two shared a few more moments together, with Zangetsu stewing on the words Ichigo had said and Ichigo thinking about the battles ahead._

_"Ichigo."_

_The orange-haired man glanced to his right, where the seated figure that was the embodiment of his Quincy powers sat. The one-word warning was enough. Ichigo sighed, immeasurable weariness settling on his expression before he forcibly pushed it aside._

_"We'll have another talk tonight," Ichigo said, giving Zangetsu a quick grin before he vanished from the inner world._

_Zangetsu stared at where he had been. **"Let loose, huh?"** He glanced around before drawing his blade and unsealing it without a word. **"I can do that."**_

Zangetsu blinked and realized that he was back in the present—or past, depending. He could sense Ichigo approaching, his blade seconds away from cutting into Zangetsu's skin.

The hollow had several actions available to him, but there was only one that he could possibly consider in that moment.

With a grin pulling at his lips, Zangetsu unsheathed his own blade, turned, and met Ichigo's with the sweet sound of metal grinding against metal.

* * *

_A/N Yay, a brief glimpse of Ichigo from the future! And a brief backstory of how Zangetsu isn't a nonexistent entity! Plot! Visored! Things!_

_Reviews:_

_QueenKarin13: I think I kind of touched on why Zangetsu killed Aizen in this chapter, but I'll reiterate just in case someone else missed it. Mainly, Zangetsu didn't want to risk Aizen getting strong again and endangering Ichigo. He figured that there were better ways for Ichigo and co. to get stronger, which you'll see in later chapters. Hopefully._

_adrian11: See previous response._

_chibissima: Your English is fine. The Zanpakuto rebellion arc is going to have some fun twists, but I won't be getting to that for a while. As for the whole Nel/Grimmjow/Unlquiorra thing, well . . . you'll see. I have a plan. Or Zangetsu does. Whichever._

_Thank you to everyone who reviewed, as well as everyone who has followed/favorited! I honestly never expected this story to get so much support, so thank you so much!_

_Until next time,_

_-RoR_

_P.S. If you're a reader of _Rift_ and/or _Rewind_, check out the poll in my profile._

**_Please review._**


	11. Chapter 11

_Anyone remember when this was still a oneshot?_

* * *

Part 11

Zangetsu was only partially aware of what Ichigo was doing. The orange-haired teenager was walking through the warehouse district, searching for where the Visored were currently hiding out. As Zangetsu had expected, the Visored had continued to be—or were still—cryptic bastards and hadn't just given Ichigo the direct address.

Because that would be far too convenient, apparently.

Instead of paying full attention to his wielder, Zangetsu was busy ripping Ichigo's inner world to shreds. Not for the sole purpose of destroying the skyscrapers, of course (though it was immensely satisfying to see the herculean structures come crashing to the ground with a roar that shook the very air), but to practice his attacks. He had already released shikai—but he wasn't going to release bankai, hell no—and his most recent white-and-red Getsuga Tenshō cut through the nearest building so cleanly that the skyscraper's upper half actually slid a few meters with the sound of metal screeching against metal before the entire structure crumbled.

Control had always been a large issue for Zangetsu and Ichigo, but during the war the hollow had figured out how to refine his Getsuga Tenshō so that it was more like an extension of his blade than a simple energy attack. He could still send raging crescents of energy, but in a fight it was invaluable to be able to simply extend the reach of his weapon and potentially burn his opponent at the same time.

It had taken weeks to perfect, but when he did, Ichigo had been that much more effective in the war.

"You're far too loud for this place," the Old Man commented dryly, standing a few meters away from Zangetsu. The hollow glanced at his Quincy partner before charging up another attack, refining and focusing his power so that he could reach the skyscraper that had been behind the other.

**"If ya have a problem, go somewhere else."**

"The noise carries to wherever I go."

**"Cry me a river."**

Zangetsu released the attack and watched with satisfaction as it blasted the building to smithereens while the shockwave blew his hair away from his face and nearly forced the hollow to take a step back. Once the chaos had subsided, Zangetsu held the cleaver out and pushed the trench blade into it in a clearly practiced motion. The two blades merged, and as the hollow portion of the cleaver blade filled and became whole the blade itself shrank and lightened until nothing but a regular sealed blade remained. Zangetsu promptly sheathed the blade on his back.

**"Ya came here ta talk about somethin else," **said Zangetsu, fully facing the other Zangetsu and crossing his arms. **"So talk."**

"You told Ichigo that you were from the future."

Zangetsu nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"I am curious. If you returned from the future and remained the source of Ichigo's Shinigami abilities, what happened to the source of Ichigo's Quincy powers?"

Zangetsu cocked his head to one side, regarding the Old Man with a disturbingly hard-to-read gaze. **"Ya were severely weakened in the fight against Yhwach. Ya barely survived, and that forced Ichigo ta rely more on me for the fight against Aizen."**

"Ichigo targeted the Quincy before he did Aizen?"

**"'Course." **Zangetsu blew out a breath. **"Aizen took a backseat and went inta hidin when the Quincys showed up. He knew when he and his arrancar were outclassed. He took the time while we were fightin the Quincy ta get stronger."**

"I see." The Old Man closed his eyes, his expression flickering with slight pain. "So I was unable to protect Ichigo when it mattered most."

**"Nah."**

The Old Man's eyes widened. "What?"

Zangetsu waved a hand in the air, turning away. **"Ya heard me. Nah," **he repeated with special emphasis. **"King could still use yer techniques when he got inta a bind. Yer Blut Arterie was what allowed him ta defeat Aizen. Without that boost, Aizen coulda recovered.**

**"So don't do that broodin thing I know ya were gonna do." **Zangetsu rolled his shoulders and cracked his back, the very picture of relaxed. **"Now, if ya don't mind, I have ta help King not get his head sliced off by a punch of paranoid motherfuckers."**

The Old Man's expression gradually returned to its typical neutral state. "I appreciate your words."

**"Tch. Whatever, Old Man."**

Zangetsu closed his eyes and concentrated, focusing on Ichigo's consciousness before opening them again.

**"Ya ready, King?"** The Zanpakutō knew his words would reach his wielder.

_"No, I'm having a _great_ time getting my ass kicked by some pint-sized shrimp. Take your time!"_

The last word was accentuated with a dull pain forming in Zangetsu's stomach that felt suspiciously like the result of a kick to the abdomen. **"Wow. Yer pathetic."**

_"You wouldn't let me release shikai!"_

**"'Cause I'll come in when ya do that. So do it."**

_"Not before you tell me why I feel so damn slow. Nothing feels right."_

**"Ah. That's 'cause I've been forcin ya ta subconsciously shake off my attempts at control. Right now, yer right eye should be black and gold."**

Ichigo was silent for a moment, his mind filled with thoughts of battle.

_"All right, fine. Just try not to kill anyone."_

A moment later, Zangetsu felt a brief tug on the core of his being as Ichigo no doubt released his Zanpakutō. With a grin, Zangetsu closed his eyes and reached for Ichigo's consciousness, pulling it out of control and easily taking its place. Ichigo put up a pretense of resistance so that the Visored would sense the fluctuations in his Reiatsu before fading to the background, waiting for Zangetsu's signal.

Zangetsu, meanwhile, let out a deranged-sounding laugh as he allowed his hollow Reiatsu to explode out from Ichigo's body, making the people in the warehouse wince with its density and power.

Hiyori was standing six meters away, pulling her mask back over her face while she scoffed. **"Pathetic," **she said, her mask making her voice sound double-toned much like Zangetsu's. **"He didn't last five minutes."**

"Actually," drawled a blond-haired man who was crouched on one of the upper levels of the warehouse, "he lasted for almost six."

Hiyori let out a growl. **"Shut up, Shinji!"**

Zangetsu let out another laugh. **"Ignoring me?"** He asked, the crazed grin on his face and the insanity lurking in his eyes directed towards everyone in the warehouse at once. **"How rude. Maybe I should kill you and force you to pay attention!"**

The hollow gave Hiyori no time to react as he darted forward, having already sheathed the trench blade to give him a free hand. That hand promptly closed around a startled Hiyori's throat and slammed the smaller girl into a convenient wall, choking her.

Zangetsu's expression became cruel as he tightened his grip.

_"Careful," _Ichigo warned, lingering wariness in his tone. He still hadn't entirely forgotten what had happened with Byakuya.

Zangetsu sent a wave of reassurance—because he'd be damned if he lost control again for such a stupid reason—and tried to ignore the rush of satisfaction that flooded his veins when the black fled from Hiyori's eyes and her mask cracked and crumbled into Reishi.

The hollow then jumped back, releasing his hold on the Visored as the rest of the group closed in on him, nearly pinning him to the ground.

"You're fast," Kensei observed. "But not fast enough."

**"Che."** Zangetsu unsheathed his trench blade just in time to block a sudden attack from Lisa before leaping up to avoid a follow-up from Love. **"Too slow!" **Zangetsu went to attack the now-open Hiyori—while giving the impression that he was going to finish her off—but he let himself get kicked in the side by Shinji and sent to the ground.

"You're done," declared Shinji, planting a foot in Zangetsu's back and levering his Zanpakutō against Zangetsu's mask. An instant later, the Visored shattered that mask.

Zangetsu composed his expression into one of shock and slight pain – because having his mask broken _hurt_ – before letting Ichigo take over again.

_"Nice acting, Zangetsu."_

The hollow landed on a skyscraper in Ichigo's inner world, a manic smile plastered on his features. **"Thanks. Now try not ta fuck things up, King!"**

* * *

Zangetsu spent the time it took for Ichigo to "train" with the Visored to get ready to defeat his inner hollow by destroying more buildings and ignoring the Old Man's disapproving glares. Occasionally, the hollow felt the need to check his back just to make sure there were no twin burn marks.

He wouldn't even be surprised if a Quincy arrow somehow found its way into his back at some point.

At least the Visored seemed to have bought Zangetsu's act. Though they seemed surprised that Zangetsu had demonstrated signs of higher intelligence and even spoken, they hadn't brought it up besides a passing mention. Though Shinji often sent Ichigo considering looks, ones that even Zangetsu was hard-pressed to interpret.

But the Visored leader was as trustworthy as he was suspicious and underhanded, and while Shinji was incredibly smart he was not a man without morals. He'd accepted Ichigo, and as far as Zangetsu was concerned, that was all that mattered. After all, the Visored protected their own.

So when Shinji tried to knock Ichigo out with that odd sensory-scrambling technique like he had in the original timeline, Zangetsu had to suppress a fit of laughter when Ichigo merely staggered back, cursing and rubbing his eyes while fighting back a rising tide of nausea.

Zangetsu's laughter could no longer be suppressed when Ichigo's vision cleared and Zangetsu could see the shocked expression on Shinji's face.

His laugher died when Kensei's hand expertly made contact with Ichigo's neck and knocked the substitute Shinigami out cold.

**"Wow," **said Zangetsu, turning to look at where Ichigo had appeared in his inner world with a grin, the orange-haired teens scowl aptly communicating his irritation. **"Ya didn't even try ta stop them."**

"I had no reason to," retorted Ichigo, standing straight and cracking his neck with a wince, his nausea gone. "You said that I needed to let them do it yourself!"

**"It was still pathetic."**

"Good thing I don't care. Now, are we going to fight or what?"

**"Depends on whether yer ready ta get yer ass kicked or not."**

"I would say the same condition applies to you."

**"Tch. Shut up and draw yer sword, King."**

Ichigo did so and then glanced around. "What's with all the dust and destroyed buildings?"

**"I was practicin some stuff."**

"Right." Zangetsu had to give Ichigo credit—the substitute Shinigami didn't even look fazed by the destruction around him. "Let's get on with it, then."

Zangetsu raised an eyebrow, impressed despite himself that Ichigo had not reacted in the slightest to the aftermath of his power. Normal opponents would have probably balked upon seeing the destruction Zangetsu could wreak, but Ichigo had not. He had continued with his challenge and faced it without trepidation. He hadn't even hesitated.

That was respectable.

**"Use yer instincts, King," **Zangetsu warned, adjusting the grip he had on his blade. **"Or things are gonna get very unpleasant for ya."**

"Noted."

Zangetsu realized that Ichigo had that look in his eye, the one that he had often had during the war—a look of complete determination with single-minded focus. The hollow grinned wider.

_Well, King, _he thought, _let's tear the sky asunder!_

When the two fighters clashed, the shockwave dispersed the remaining dust clouds. Zangetsu pressed down harder on the cleaver, using his other blade to counter Ichigo's. Ichigo's own strength came to bear against Zangetsu's, and the substitute Shinigami quickly found that it was a losing battle.

Ichigo grit his teeth and then abruptly kicked Zangetsu's smaller sword on the flat of the blade, knocking it to one side. Zangetsu immediately moved to counter but he hadn't seen the silent Getsuga Tenshō charging in Ichigo's cleaver blade.

"Getsuga Tenshō!" Ichigo shouted, releasing the energy pent up in the larger sword. Zangetsu cursed, leaping back as the swelling bubble of energy rapidly eclipsed his previous position. The hollow had no doubt that Ichigo had gotten out of range too; it was his attack, after all, and it was far too early in the fight to use a technique that ran the risk of injuring its user.

**"C'mon, King!" ** Zangetsu called, casting out his senses to find Ichigo. **"I know you've got more skill than that!"**

"You're damn right I do!"

Zangetsu spun and brought up his blades in a block just in time to block a downward strike from Ichigo's Khyber blade. The hollow disengaged his smaller sword in time to block Ichigo's and then quickly spun, knocking Ichigo back and switching his grip on the smaller blade to the cloth material that wrapped around the grip and hung off it. Ichigo's eyes narrowed and he quickly loosed another Getsuga Tenshō. The attack seethed with energy but Zangetsu batted it aside with his cleaver, taking pleasure in the power behind the crescent of energy. Ichigo was certainly no weakling, but he was still wasting far too much Reiatsu without realizing it in each of his attacks.

The Zanpakutō spirit quickly spun and threw his smaller blade, automatically extending the length of the cloth as the sword flew at Ichigo's head. The substitute Shinigami stepped to one side and moved to retaliate, only to find that Zangetsu had shunpoed in front of him and swept sideways with his cleaver. Ichigo desperately blocked, but upon seeing the grin on Zangetsu's face his eyes widened in realization.

Ichigo jumped back, but not in time to completely avoid the blade that Zangetsu had tugged back into his grip. The trench knife dug deep gash in his side, dripping blood. Ichigo glanced at it and scowled before tearing off some of the cloth on his own sword and rapidly binding the wound to slow the bleeding.

**"Don't lose your focus!"** Zangetsu called mockingly, spinning his blade once more as he charged it with energy.

"You don't have to worry about that!" Ichigo retorted, finishing and bringing his blades to bear once more.

The two clashed in a dizzying display of swordsmanship, with Zangetsu favoring a berserker style that used a speed Ichigo couldn't hope to match. The orange-haired teen countered that speed with his own reaction times, relying on his agility and tactics to try to avoid getting disemboweled.

Zangetsu's expression became annoyed as Ichigo hesitated for a fraction of a second before dodging Zangetsu's cleaver and jumping back. The hesitation hadn't been much – a normal swordsman may not have been able to capitalize on it – but Zangetsu was extraordinarily skilled and the opening had been enough for him to score a shallow cut across Ichigo's chest.

**"Yer gonna have ta move faster than that, Ichigo," **warned Zangetsu, spinning his larger sword by the cloth for a few moments. **"Ya can't hesitate like that in a fight!" **He then caught the sword and swung it down, generating a powerful and refined Getsuga Tenshō that brimmed with barely restrained energy.

Ichigo set himself to deflect the attack, but he quickly realized that it was too strong for that. Instead, he went to Shunpo out of the way, only to realize that Zangetsu had used Sonido and appeared right next to him. The hollow sent Ichigo flying back with a savage kick, keeping Ichigo in the path of the Getsuga Tenshō. Ichigo was struck with little time to brace himself and Zangetsu watched with a grim expression on his face as Ichigo was slammed into a nearby building. The impact of the follow-up Getsuga Tenshō created a rather large cloud of dust, preventing Zangetsu from seeing the aftermath of his attack.

The hollow leaped to one side as a Getsuga Jūjishō ripped through the space he had just occupied and went on to destroy a skyscraper. Ichigo had followed his attack, however, and he quickly threw his Khyber blade at Zangetsu, directing it with the cloth attached to its hilt. Zangetsu had taught the move to Ichigo while training him for Soul Society, but there was a large weakness to the technique. If the opponent could overwhelm the attacker's Reiatsu for even just a moment, the cloth wrapped around the hilt could be broken.

Zangetsu deflected the blade with his own and then brought his smaller sword down on the cloth, severing it with quite a bit of effort. Ichigo was getting stronger and stronger.

Ichigo vanished with Shunpo, reappeared next to the falling sword, and grabbed it while twisting and l unleashing another Getsuga Tenshō at Zangetsu with his trench knife. The hollow countered it with one of his own and his that quickly overpowered Ichigo's, forcing the orange-haired teen to once more use Shunpo to dodge.

Zangetsu grinned. **"Stop lookin so serious, King! Let's have some fun!"**

Ichigo's eyes widened in the instant that Zangetsu disappeared with Sonido and he automatically leaped back, but not in time to completely avoid Zangetsu's swing. The white cleaver tore through Ichigo's Shihakushō and scored a deep cut along his chest that crossed the shallow one from earlier. Blood instantly filled the wound and Ichigo winced, getting distance between himself and Zangetsu once more.

The hollow didn't allow Ichigo any space. He chased the substitute Shinigami relentlessly, gradually increasing his speed and the power behind his strikes. Zangetsu could feel Ichigo's arms trembling with each impact, his legs buckling even as he tried to counter.

Even with his life in danger—much to Zangetsu's frustration—Ichigo still seemed to be unwilling to tap into the instincts that Zangetsu knew rested in his core. Therefore, the hollow didn't let up in his assault, making full use of both his blades but still limiting his power and speed. He didn't want to accidentally kill his king, after all.

Ichigo grimaced as he felt his defense crumbling and he quickly executed a complicated series of Shunpo steps that successfully got him behind Zangetsu.

The hollow grinned, flipping his cleaver into a reverse grip and deflecting Ichigo's attack, which would have severed his spine. Ichigo didn't flinch, instead stabbing his trench blade with the intention of hitting exposed area of Zangetsu's back.

Zangetsu parried the strike and twisted around, flipping back to his regular grip with ease and pressing Ichigo back once more. The substitute Shinigami was ready for the attack this time, however, and he successfully countered by releasing a sudden Getsuga Tenshō that forced Zangetsu back for a fraction of a second. Taking advantage of the split-second pause, Ichigo charged a far more powerful Getsuga Tenshō and released it with a wordless roar.

The blue crescent was easily three times Ichigo's height and twice his width. Zangetsu scowled when he realized he would be forced to dodge the attack and he did so, hearing the energy attack crash into the skyscraper he and Ichigo had been fighting on.

Ichigo went to attack but he paused when a mighty groaning noise pierced the air. His gaze slowly went past Zangetsu, his eyes widening in horror when he realized that the skyscraper he had just launched a Getsuga Tenshō at was now tilting dangerously off center.

Zangetsu noticed it as well in that moment and he began to step back, but then the building's metal supports screeched in protest as the gargantuan structure began to topple, debris and metal shards and glass fragments falling down as Substitute Shinigami and Zanpakutō spirit found themselves right in the path of the toppling building.

* * *

_A/N Last update for a little while. I've suddenly got a lot on my plate but I'll do what I can._

_Reviews:_

_Krazyfanfiction1: Maybe you just forgot to follow this story or something._

_enjali: Yes._

_Heavenly God: Aizen's dead._

_Harbinger Of Kaos: Yes, Harribel and Starrk are alive._

_chibissima: Surviving Espada: Starrk, Harribel, Ulquiorra, Grimmjow. Most of the Fraccion are alive as well._

_Crimson Homura: Uh, yeah. Don't do the bankai thing - it sounds painful. For me._

_T51b Moridin: (I'm just gonna try to answer the questions from all of your reviews) The Quincy Blood War arc isn't complete and it's too complicated for me at the moment which is why I won't touch it right now, I'm doing the Amagai arc as well as the movies (I think) but not the Bount arc, details about the previous timeline will emerge as time goes by, and in Zangetsu's timeline things went as they did in Canon up until Ichigo confronts Aizen in Soul Society; that's when things go to absolute shit. Ichigo and friends fight Aizen for a year or two, the Quincy show up, Aizen reemerges as the Quincy are losing (during that time Ichigo is captured and tortured by Aizen), and then you have the events previously described by Zangetsu. Hope that helps._

_Man, you guys review a lot. It's awesome. Maybe I can get this story to be one of the more popular Bleach stories, eh? (If I could just improve my writing . . . )_

_Until next time,_

_-RoR_

**_Please review._**


	12. Chapter 12

_I've had a lot of inspiration this week. Here's to hoping it keeps up._

* * *

Part 12

Zangetsu was unbothered by the falling debris from the crumbling skyscraper; his Hierro protected him from any flesh wounds. Ichigo, on the other hand, was forced to dodge the falling pieces of building that were steadily increasing in size and frequency. He began to use Shunpo, and quickly started to fight Zangetsu once more despite the obstacles falling through the air.

Ichigo suffered several minor cuts and scrapes but he paid them no mind and he and Zangetsu entered a dance of sorts, dodging and attacking in tandem while they avoided the larger chunks falling from above. More than once Ichigo lunged forward with the intent to spear Zangetsu through only to leap back when a steel beam careened through the area he had just occupied.

Both combatants began a dangerous game in which they attacked each other while moving between the small gaps in the falling pieces of skyscraper. The noise was deafening, nearly drowning out the ringing of Zanpakutō crashing against Zanpakutō.

"Getsuga Tenshō!" Ichigo roared, releasing the energy blast. Zangetsu's eyes narrowed and he swung his own blade.

**"Getsuga Tenshō!"**

The two crescents of energy raged against one another until they imploded, creating a massive plume of dust as the crumbling skyscraper took the collateral damage.

In that moment, the damaged building gave one last metallic screech before it fell apart, the top half falling over entirely as cables and beams and glass snapped and shattered.

Ichigo cursed and tried to Shunpo out of the way but Zangetsu caught him mid-step and threw him back into the skyscraper with enough force to create velocity rings before using Sonido to get away. The hollow watched from a distance as the skyscraper crumbled completely and released a massive explosion of dust upon impact with the ground. The dust flew into the air and obscured Zangetsu's sight, but the Zanpakutō spirit was perfectly capable of sensing Ichigo via his ever-present Reiatsu. There was no way that a falling building would be able to down Ichigo, and an instant later Zangetsu's expectations were proven right.

Zangetsu sonidoed out of the way of a sudden Getsuga Tenshō, bringing his blades around just in time to block a subsequent overhead strike from Ichigo.

**"Nice try," **Zangetsu said. **"Ya were close. But yer still thinkin too much!"**

To emphasize his point, Zangetsu charged his swords with a silent Getsuga Tenshō and then pushed Ichigo away, easily injuring the substitute Shinigami with the rush of energy that followed. Ichigo scowled as he solidified the air beneath him, slight amounts of smoke rising off his tattered Shihakushō.

**"Honestly," **Zangetsu drawled, grabbing his cleaver by the cloth attached to the hilt and spinning it around, **"I don't understand ya sometimes. Why are ya takin this so seriously?" **He grinned widely, gesturing with the hand holding the trench blade. **"Ya should be havin fun! This is what fightin's all about! Dominatin yer opponent, livin in the fight—ya can't have fun if yer takin yer time and thinkin about things! Ya gotta trust yer instincts!"**

Zangetsu stopped spinning his blade and pointed it at Ichigo. **"Instinct, King! I've said it before and I don't like repeatin myself; in order for beings ta get stronger they need ta fight! But that ain't the whole reason ta fight and ya just won't realize it!" **Zangetsu slashed the blade to one side for emphasis, the shockwave from the simple movement blowing away most of the lingering dust. **"Ya enjoy battle! Ya may not want ta admit it but ya live for the thrill of killin and slaughterin and destroyin yer enemies! Ya don't necessarily care whether it's for the best or not! You're a fighter, King, always have been, always will be! Forcin yerself ta stop and think now just 'cause ya got some fancy new powers is stiflin yer instincts! If ya do that in a real fight, you're gonna get yerself killed and that's the last thing that I wanna have happen!**

**"So," **Zangetsu's voice dropped, his words low and carrying undertones of urgency.** "Ya can either stop usin yer brain ta fight or I can gut ya and take your crown until I think you're ready for it."**

Ichigo's expression darkened, Zangetsu's words hitting home. His Reiatsu began to rise, swirling around him in a blue cloud that rapidly gained swirls of red and black. Zangetsu grinned, bringing his blades up once again.

And then the hollow darted forward, throwing his cleaver and holding it by the hilt wrapping while swinging with his smaller sword. Ichigo dodged the first and second strikes and then parried the cleaver as it returned to Zangetsu's hands, only to gasp as a kick from Zangetsu connected with his abdomen. Automatically—instinctively, Zangetsu noted with a burst of satisfaction—Ichigo ducked a follow-up from his Zanpakutō spirit and charged his blades with Reiryoku. Zangetsu jumped back but Ichigo suddenly demonstrated new speed, catching up with Zangetsu and momentarily surprising the hollow.

That moment of surprise was enough for Ichigo to release the pent-up energy. His eyes practically glowed with resolve and determination as he brought his swords down.

"Getsuga Jūjishō!"

**"Well, damn,"** Zangetsu muttered, pouring Reiryoku into his Hierro in hopes of absorbing most of the attack. The crossed energy waves slammed into Zangetsu and the hollow put up his swords to block, the weapons held in place by the sheer power and force behind the attack. The hollow gritted his teeth, pushing harder and feeling a grudging respect for Ichigo's current power level and his ability to _use_ that power.

With a shout of glee, Zangetsu broke the Getsuga Jūjishō and let the two halves slam into the building behind him, decimating it. **"Yes, King! Finally, you're using your instincts!"**

Zangetsu's grin became bloodthirsty. **"So don't stop, or I'll kill you."**

Ichigo scowled and the pair darted at each other again, rapidly trading strikes and counters until they locked blades, daishō pair struggling against daishō pair. Zangetsu attempted to break through Ichigo's guard with brute force and nearly succeeded but Ichigo managed to twist to one side, his arm already moving, bringing the cleaver down on Zangetsu's exposed wrist and Zangetsu hadn't expected the speed, the instant reaction Ichigo hadn't demonstrated minutes before and he tried to sonido away but it was already too late and the cold metal bit into his skin, severing his hand from his arm.

The hollow spat a curse that made even Ichigo pause and raise an eyebrow. The white cleaver – with Zangetsu's right hand still holding the hilt – fell quickly, rapidly disappearing between the skyscrapers. Ichigo grinned.

"Not so tough now, are you?"

Zangetsu laughed in his king's face. **"Not so tough? King, ya have _no idea_ what yer talkin about!"**

The hollow concentrated, shunting Reiryoku to his bleeding wrist and watching in satisfaction as a new hand quickly formed with a rush of white material that vanished soon after. Ichigo stared.

"That's not fair."

Zangetsu's grin never wavered, and he shot out his right hand, mentally calling to the blade that was an extension of him, that _was_ him. A second later, a white blade came flying from where it had fallen, the hand that had held it long gone. It slammed into Zangetsu's palm with a resounding smack and Zangetsu's grin became savage. His blades began to glow with power and Ichigo's face paled as the air trembled around him.

"Shit," Ichigo began, but it was already too late as his Zanpakutō spirit let out a war cry that sent a shiver up Ichigo's spine before suddenly freezing, looking at Ichigo with a gaze so cold it could have extinguished the sun. **"Getsuga Jūjishō."**

Ichigo tried to run, tried to Shunpo away but even with his speed he was not fast enough and the substitute Shinigami did everything he could to defend himself from the doom blast, putting everything he had into toughening himself so he could weather the attack.

Zangetsu watched from a distance as Ichigo was completely swallowed by a white ball of destruction. The skyscrapers behind him were utterly, completely, and totally decimated, nothing but their first few floors remaining.

In a few seconds, it was over. An unusual silence descended over Ichigo's inner world, completely at odds with the roar that had filled it moments earlier. Zangetsu looked around, his eyes easily finding the orange-haired figure crouched a few feet away, his entire body smoking. Ichigo tried to stand, staggered, and fell.

Zangetsu blurred forward with sonido, sheathing his blades in an instant and appearing just in time to snag the back of Ichigo's Shihakushō and prevent him from plummeting sideways into one of the skyscrapers far in the distance. Ichigo didn't even have the energy left to protest, everything spent in staying in one piece.

The horse carried his king to one of the few skyscrapers within a reasonable distance that was still standing. He carefully set Ichigo down on it, mindful of the burns stretching up and down Ichigo's forearms. Incredibly, however, the burns were mild, far more so than Zangetsu had been expecting. The hollow frowned for a moment before he made the connection and grinned broadly.

"I know you won," Ichigo grunted, twisting onto his side and paying no mind to his injuries despite the sluggish blood still flowing from his wounds, "but I don't get why you're smiling so much. Take my body and do whatever the hell you wanted to do." He gave Zangetsu a glare that was withering despite his worsening condition. "But I _will _be back, and if you do _anything _to my friends or family before I am I swear I will drag you to the depths of this world and chain you there for the rest of your life."

**"No need ta be so tense, King! Loosen up! Ya just used yer hierro – celebrate!"**

"Shut the hell – wait, what? Hierro?"

**"Hi-er-ro." **Zangetsu pulled out his trench knife and ran it down Ichigo's forearm. The substitute automatically flinched and then froze when he saw the sparks rising from his arm instead of blood. The blade wasn't piercing his skin. After making sure that Ichigo had seen it, Zangetsu sheathed his sword once more and stood, still grinning. **"And there's yer first hollow technique. Not bad, King. Not bad at all."**

* * *

"So . . . this hierro—it's an extra layer of defense, right?"

Zangetsu nodded. **"Yeah. Remember when ya fought Zaraki and yer first few attacks did nothin? It's 'cause his Reiatsu overwhelmed yours. Hierro is kinda like that but yer Reiatsu doesn't necessarily hafta overwhelm the other person's—it just hasta be close. Some hollows have stronger hierros than others; it all depends. But if ya try hard enough, ya can overwhelm a powerful hierro by sharpening your Zanpakutō with yer will and reiatsu."**

Ichigo absorbed the information while absently rubbing the bandages on his chest that Zangetsu had created from the cloth on Ichigo's Zanpakutō's hilt. Ichigo noticed Zangetsu giving him a glare and stopped. "And hierro is instinctive?"

**"Yeah."**

"So how do I stop the Shinigami from noticing it?"

Zangetsu raised an eyebrow at Ichigo. **"And just why the hell would ya need ta stop them from noticin?"**

"It's pretty clear that Soul Society isn't a fan of Shinigami-hollow hybrids," Ichigo said sarcastically. "I mean, we're in a warehouse full of ones that were nearly executed for it."

**"Che. And yer worried about bein attacked by Soul Society? Don't be stupid; yer too strong and ya helped them uncover a traitor, not ta mention that ya seem ta have a few allies there now. They'd be stupid ta attack ya just over some hollow powers."**

"Yeah, you're right."

Ichigo lay down on his back, throwing one arm over his face so the light of the sun of his inner world wouldn't blind him. Zangetsu, sitting beside him, abruptly glanced up, sensing a minute tremor through the world around him.

**"King, ya gotta go."**

"Time's up?"

**"Yeah." **Zangetsu stood and stretched, offering a hand to Ichigo. Ichigo grabbed it, only to get dropped a second later. He glared at Zangetsu as he got up the second time and ignored the snickers coming from his oh-so-mature Zanpakutō.

As Ichigo vanished from his inner world, Zangetsu let out a sigh and collapsed onto his back, breathing heavily. Splitting his focus between keeping some semblance of control on the hollow instincts that had taken over Ichigo's body while they "fought" (not an easy task) had exhausted him, on top of making sure that the hollow form the Visored battled wouldn't completely mop the floor with the ex-Shinigami.

And then Ichigo had actually proven how strong he was, making Zangetsu work even harder.

**"I'm just gonna take a short . . . nap," **Zangetsu muttered, his eyes drifting shut. A few meters away, the manifestation of Ichigo's Quincy powers watched with some amusement as the hollow curled up into a ball and began to snore.

* * *

"I can't believe you snore."

Zangetsu scowled, throwing a rock across the river and watching it skip several times before sinking. **"Shut up. I do not."**

Ichigo scoffed, throwing a rock of his own and looking pleased when it bounced more than Zangetsu's. "Oh yeah? I could hear you when I was talking with the Visored. I felt like my head was going to explode. If you weren't snoring, what were you doing? Destroying the entirety of my inner world?"

**"_That's _an exaggeration."**

"Not by much."

**"Asshole," **Zangetsu muttered, rolling his eyes and grabbing another rock. **"Anyway, we need ta talk."**

"About what?"

**"Aizen."**

At the mere mention of the traitor's name, the sun seemed to shrink just a little farther down the horizon, darkening the sky even more. Ichigo paused in his rock throwing, glancing at Zangetsu instead. "What about him?" The substitute's voice was flat, his expression unreadable. "You killed him, didn't you?"

Zangetsu winced, a reaction that Ichigo didn't miss. **"Yeah, I killed the bastard. But I wanted ta explain somethin ta ya."**

"Let me guess: something bad is going to happen because you killed Aizen."

Zangetsu rolled his eyes. **"I've got no fuckin clue, King. I'm talkin about somethin else—the future. The one I come from."**

"What about it?" Ichigo finally threw his rock, watching it skip over the shining water before it finally sank beneath the surface.

**"Ya got strong 'cause of Aizen," **Zangetsu said simply, though it sounded as though every word was burning his mouth and throat. **"Much as I hate ta admit it, Aizen made the circumstances that originally let ya unlock yer Shinigami powers before ya died. Without that, ya wouldn't be the person ya are today."**

"What are you saying?"

**"With Aizen gone, ya aren't going ta get as strong as quickly as ya would've before."**

"I can—"

**"Train?"** Zangetsu interrupted. **"King, there are some things out there that trainin can't do shit ta match. Trust me."**

Ichigo scoffed but said nothing more. Zangetsu shot him a sideways glance before continuing.

**"Don't fuckin laugh, King. I'm bein serious."** Ichigo sobered, sensing that his Zanpakutō was about to say something rather important. **"Aizen and his cronies made ya strong, real strong. I was happy about that; hell, it was the greatest thing ya coulda done. I _am_ yer strength, King. Problem is, right now I ain't really yer strength, not in full."**

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying you're not my Zanpakutō?"

**"'Course not, dumbass. Are ya stupid?"**

"You're not just saying things simply; you're making everything complicated. It's not my fault!"

**"Tch. Whatever. As I was sayin, you and I aren't where we were—are going to be. My power is separate from yers."**

"How is that possible? You're a part of my soul—"

**"I told ya about how ya kicked me out, King. Don't make me repeat myself. When I came back here I formed a connection with ya instantly; I'm still just a piece of ya manifested inta a separate form. 'Course, 'cause ya severed that bond in my timeline, the connection here is takin longer ta build up ta what it was before. Or will be."**

"You're implying that there's an 'and' in there somewhere."

Zangetsu nodded. **"I can't fully come back inta yer soul yet, King. It's too dangerous."**

"Too dangerous? How? I can handle it, if that's what you're thinking."

The Zanpakutō spirit sighed, hating the way he wanted to capitulate under the determined light shining in Ichigo's eyes. Honestly, the guy had so much charisma and he wasn't even aware of it. Shame, too. He could probably get anything or anyone he wanted if he tried—but those were thoughts for another time.

**"Ya really can't handle it." **Ichigo tried to speak but Zangetsu talked over him, drowning out his partner's words. **"Yer sixteen. Yer body ain't ready for the power of a twenty-nine-year-old, much less one with a growth rate as insane as yers. In a few years I think you'll be able ta handle all of it. Now, ya can barely handle part of yer shikai."**

"Part?" Ichigo repeated, his hand automatically reaching to where his Zanpakutō's hilt would have been had he been in his soul form.

**"Yeah. Part. This is barely a tenth of what ya can actually do."**

Ichigo's eyes went wide from shock and he turned away from Zangetsu, staring out over the water as the words and their meanings rolled around in his mind. "A tenth . . . not even," he muttered, the words almost too quiet to hear. He glanced at Zangetsu, and there was sudden pain in his eyes and Zangetsu's chest clenched uncomfortably as he realized that Ichigo had connected the dots to come to a horrifying conclusion. "Zangetsu, what the hell happened? How—why—what would drive me to do that? I—was it my family? My friends?" Zangetsu must have flinched because Ichigo froze. "No. Karin and Yuzu?" He swallowed, taking a deep breath. "Damn. I—I—I'm sorry. I didn't . . ." Ichigo trailed off, his train of thought abandoned. Instead, the substitute drew his knees to his chest and bowed his head, no doubt thinking of the deaths that had yet to be if they were to be at all.

Zangetsu watched, his expression full of pain and sorrow that was potent enough to saturate his normally wild and overwhelming Reiatsu with a more solemn tone. **"That's why I killed Aizen," **he said after a pause, his words sounding almost brittle. The Zanpakutō spirit's hand twitched, almost as though it were trying to wrap around the hilt of an invisible sword. **"I couldn't let that bastard live and risk you goin through that again." **He looked at Ichigo then, taking in the boy's hunched posture. **"It's bad enough just hearin 'bout it, ain't it?"**

"Yeah."

Ichigo said nothing more for a while.

After a few minutes of relaxed yet somber silence, Ichigo uncurled and took a deep breath. His words broke the thin veneer of calm that had settled over their area of the river, startling Zangetsu, who had been lost in thoughts and memories. "So . . . what are you planning on doing?"

Zangetsu blinked, uncharacteristically expressionless for a second before a grin split his features that sent a shiver down Ichigo's spine. **"Oh, you'll see, King. You'll see."**

And Ichigo had to admit that he did not like the sound of that.

* * *

_A/N That's a wrap for today. The next update will probably be around the next time _Rewind_ is updated if all goes as planned._

_Reviews:_

_Krazyfanfiction1: Theoretically, he probably could. However, Ichigo doesn't have the training or skill with his Quincy powers to do something like that. Most Quincy probably don't._

_QueenKarin13: I'm working on humor. It won't be as common in this story as in some of my other ones purely because of the serious nature of this one. I do appreciate the advice, though._

_Heavenly God: You'll see._

_Zaralann_: _At this point, I'm not sure what I'll use since I have no solid plans for this story. I'm kind of winging it, though I know I'll be using the Zanpakutō Rebellion arc. I will probably use the movies as well._

_Thank you to everyone who reviewed as well as those of you that simply favorited and/or followed!_

_Until next time,_

_-RoR_

**_Please review._**


	13. Chapter 13: Interlude

_Next update won't be for a while; school complications and the like. I'm sure most of you guys know how it is. Oh, and if you celebrate it, happy Easter!_

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Part 13 – Interlude

Ichigo had met Zangetsu almost seven years ago. In those first few hours, he had bonded closely with the older teenager with all the desperation of a child looking to fill the hole in his heart where his mother used to be with someone, _anyone_. Then Zangetsu had left, breaking that bond into pieces so small Ichigo believed that they had never really existed in the first place, only to reappear years later and forge that bond anew. The bond was strained when Zangetsu left again, and now that Ichigo knew the truth of his white-haired companion there was no chance that the connection they shared would ever be broken again.

The orange-haired teen sighed, head down as he walked on the sidewalk and thought. Currently, Zangetsu was patrolling Karakura Town as a favor to Ichigo so that the substitute Shinigami could get some rest, which had been eluding Ichigo since the time he had spent with the Visored.

They had let him go after a few days and only after Kisuke Urahara had interfered in his typical fashion, though Ichigo had promised to come back.

The way his Zanpakutō looked at Shinji worried Ichigo. He looked so . . . pained. No, that wasn't the right word. There was pain, yes, but it was deeper than that. It was almost . . . resignation. Yeah, that was it. Zangetsu looked resigned. Resigned and tired and pained and so many other adjectives that Ichigo couldn't even think of them all.

And for some reason, that made Ichigo's heart pump just a little faster.

Either way, Zangetsu would cover for Ichigo – and hopefully avoid that weird Shinigami with the afro that Ichigo had encountered a few days previously while he was at it – and let the teenager have a normal dinner with his family.

_Well, not "normal",_ Ichigo decided as he paused at his front door, hand hovering over the handle as his instincts blared in warning. With a long-suffering sigh, Ichigo stood to one side and opened the door. He completely ignored the man that sailed through the air where his body would have been and instead walked inside calmly, closing and locking the door behind him with little fanfare.

"Welcome home, Ichigo," chirped Yuzu from the kitchen, her tone bright and cheery. "Dinner's almost ready!"

The eldest Kurosaki child glanced at her. "'Kay. Thanks, Yuzu."

Ichigo went up the stairs to his room slowly, a pensive scowl on his face. He had taken his time getting home, stopping to talk with Zangetsu for some of it. Ichigo had also stopped to help Chad out with a bunch of idiots that thought they could mess with the surprisingly gentle giant. The two boys had left the scene after calling an ambulance, exchanged few words, and then parted ways. They shared a mutual understanding that allowed them to hold entire conversations in almost complete silence.

Zangetsu was much the same way. If Ichigo needed something, the Zanpakutō was already halfway through getting it. When they fought, Zangetsu corrected mistakes before Ichigo even realized he was thinking about making them. And now, with the addition of the hollow mask, Ichigo was closer to the Zanpakutō spirit than he had ever been before, at least in this timeline.

The teen sighed, shutting the door to his room and collapsing on his back in bed, ignoring Kon's pestering as he remained deep in thought.

The hollow mask he had gained was surprisingly simple; it was made a white, bone-like material and vaguely reminiscent of a grinning skull with two crimson lines stretching over the eyes, going from the top to the bottom. Ichigo hadn't expected it to fit his face as well as it had, though he hadn't been necessarily surprised either. According to Hiyori, its mouth even opened if Ichigo shouted, which wasn't anything special but Ichigo still found it cool.

And something about the mask just felt . . . right. When Ichigo put it on his entire being suddenly felt more complete. He could maintain it for several minutes already, especially once Zangetsu had started showing him how to repair the mask or stop it from disintegrating entirely.

Of course, the other Zangetsu, the older (and more regal, in Ichigo's opinion) one didn't seem too happy about the mask, but when Ichigo had pestered him about it the Zanpakutō spirit hadn't been willing to give anything away. That was nothing short of suspicious but neither of Ichigo's Zanpakutō spirits had been willing to elaborate on the strange tension that always pervaded the area when they were together. It wasn't necessarily hostile; it was more of a feeling, a sense that Ichigo got of two opposing sides standing far too close.

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't figure it out. They were his Zanpakutō spirits, right? Shouldn't they be similar? Or, at least, less _different_? Hell, they didn't _act_ like what Ichigo had been expecting, especially after Rukia had explained her Sode no Shirayuki to him. They were practically polar opposites yet Zangetsu—the hollow one—acted as though that was completely normal.

Ichigo had to admit that he was somewhat curious as to what those two actually _did_ in his inner world when he wasn't aware of it. Did they fight? It might explain why he'd been having random dizzy spells lately. The first few days with the Visored had been hell, half because of Hiyori and half because he couldn't entirely trust his body to do what he wanted it to do. When Ichigo had confronted Zangetsu, the white-haired boy had looked somewhat guilty as his eyes darted to the wreckage of several skyscrapers but refused to elaborate on _why_.

It was frustrating, to say the least.

On the brighter side of things, Ichigo had been getting stronger. He'd really begun noticing it lately, especially with the addition of the hollow mask. It nearly tripled his strength and Zangetsu had hinted that it could get even stronger given time. The Old Man had also hinted that Ichigo still had much to learn, so Ichigo suspected that his strength would be increasing for some time yet.

It was so . . . odd. Ichigo could afford to settle into a routine, and thanks to Zangetsu's help he hadn't needed to miss nearly as much school as he had been expecting. His teachers had appreciated his sudden lack of delinquency, though a few of them still treated him warily. And none of them were entirely comfortable around Chad.

Some things couldn't be helped. Uryū, however, had taken to glaring at Ichigo during class whenever the orange-haired teen answered a question correctly (it wasn't as though Ichigo _wanted_ to answer the questions; he just got called on and he figured he should give the right answer). Ichigo would then confront the resident Quincy during lunch without drawing the suspicion of Keigo or Mizuiro (an impressive feat). It turned out that the Quincy was having difficulty swallowing the fact that Ichigo was actually pretty intelligent. In Ichigo's humble opinion, Uryū just didn't want to get off his high horse.

Ichigo's thoughts switched tracks entirely as he rolled over in bed and stared pensively at the wall.

Zangetsu was from the future. He had acted nonchalant about it at first, but now the implications were really hitting home. If Zangetsu had been capable of coming back, why hadn't he done it at a point when Ichigo was still alive? And if the absolutely monstrous strength that Ichigo sensed in his Zanpakutō (an observation he kept carefully hidden from his partner; Zangetsu seemed to take questions about his abilities very negatively and Ichigo generally paid for them in sweat and blood during sparring) was anything to go by, Ichigo had gone through _something_ to make him incredibly strong.

Ichigo didn't find the thought at all comforting. What if something happened to his friends? Or what if it happened to Yuzu, to Karin? What if he wasn't able to protect them? Could he ever forgive himself if he failed to keep his sisters or friends safe? He was his sisters' older brother; it was his duty to protect them. What _was_ he if he couldn't?

Ichigo scowled harder at the wall, glaring unintentionally before he forcibly directed his mind away from such thoughts. Thinking of a future that wouldn't happen anymore was giving him a headache and it really had no purpose.

Though, he would appreciate finding out what his Zanpakutō spirits were hiding. Clearly, it was something, but he just couldn't figure out _what_.

Ichigo sighed, turning over in bed. The answers to his questions lay beyond his reach, and this time he wasn't sure what answers he was searching for or even what questions he should be asking to find them.

"Ichigo! Dinner's ready!"

Maybe they would magically come to him thanks to Yuzu's incredible cooking. Ichigo was pretty sure that she was making his favorite curry that night, too.

* * *

_A/N Another brief look into Ichigo's thoughts. He suspects something about his Zanpakutō spirits but probably won't come to the conclusion that one of them is really a Quincy spirit on his own._

_WolvenWarrior65: He'll get a Resurrección, but not for a while yet._

_Zaralann: I'm going to do some of the fillers, but not the first movie. I just don't like the idea of all that character development going to waste when he forgets about her anyway. And this won't be a crossover; I've got plenty of those already, though I appreciate the idea._

_Moon6Shadow: I don't know if I'll get into dealing with the Visoreds' hollows. I don't have enough information on what really happened to their Zanpakutō spirits and other people have written better scenes concerning that. The Old Man hasn't had the opportunity to teach Ichigo, though I may experiment with that later. At the moment he's building up Ichigo's latent Quincy ability._

_I'm honestly amused and pleased by how many of you liked the Zangetsu snoring bit._

_Until next time,_

_-RoR_

**_Please review._**


	14. Chapter 14

_This was going to be out earlier. Suffice to say, _One Piece_ up and punched me in the face and delayed it._

* * *

Part 14

Zangetsu didn't know what to do. He'd never been good at having deep conversations (hell, it took an incredible amount of effort for him not to fight Ichigo the moment the idiot landed in his inner world) and minus a few exceptions there were very few times in Zangetsu's history in which he'd had to really _talk_ with Ichigo. Not just about fighting, or the future, but Ichigo himself.

Because he hated to admit that Ichigo had problems, and Zangetsu tried to ignore the brief and rare moments of weakness that Ichigo sometimes had.

Moments when Ichigo would wake up in the middle of the night with a choked-off scream because he was still just a _teenager_, dammit, and he shouldn't have to deal with the gore and violence and pain he did. He was strong, yes, but even he couldn't be strong _all_ the time. Knowing Ichigo, the orange-haired teen would probably try to bury his problems and avoid talking about them.

The idiot saw himself as expendable. Always had, always did; even during the war he was willing to give himself up if it meant saving everyone else. It was part of the reason he'd been in Aizen's tender, loving care for so long. As long as Aizen could play with Ichigo, most of the sadistic bastard's large scale attacks had ceased. There were still skirmishes, but it gave the Gotei Thirteen a much-needed break.

But then the Visored and a fair portion of the Gotei Thirteen's upper echelon made a daring raid on Las Noches and managed to break Ichigo out, but by that point Ichigo had already been in pieces, his mind broken and scattered.

It had taken Zangetsu and his Quincy other half over a year to get Ichigo back to some semblance of normalcy, but the insanity had always lurked just beneath the surface, a hysteria and madness that even Zangetsu feared to touch. It was everything Ichigo couldn't be, the complete antithesis of everything the orange-haired teen believed in.

And Aizen had created it.

Zangetsu gritted his teeth. He'd taken to spending more time in Ichigo's inner world lately to grow accustomed to it again, and as a result he found himself getting soaked by rain more nights than not. Through Ichigo's mind's eye, Zangetsu could see nightmares of a cackling Zaraki, a far colder Byakuya, and Aizen.

Always Aizen.

There were so many repeats of the moment Aizen ripped the Hōgyoku from Rukia and Ichigo's subconscious had magnified the fear of the moment tenfold before forcing Ichigo to suffer through watching it over and over again.

Like a human teenager could just waltz into the afterlife, suffer what should have been fatal injuries, watch those he cared about break, and then waltz out as though his psyche hadn't been affected in any way.

And now it was raining in Ichigo's inner world once again. Well, Zangetsu mentally amended, not raining. It was as though a heavy fog had settled on the ground, slowly rising to cover the entirety of the world. Zangetsu couldn't see more than ten meters in any direction save for hulking shadows that he assumed were buildings. Droplets of water clung to his clothes, skin, and hair and every so often the Zanpakutō spirit had to wipe it off because it got so irritating. It wash't a suffocating fog, but it was stifling.

The mist didn't come often, but Zangetsu knew that Ichigo had just been in the throes of his latest nightmare and there was little the teenager could do to calm his mind so quickly after the heart-pounding dream. The hollow turned his head slightly and saw the embodiment of Ichigo's Quincy abilities standing on a pole some five meters away, his posture and expression still annoyingly regal despite the water that dripped from his lean frame.

**"I don't suppose the view's any better from there,**" Zangetsu drawled, his words saturated with sarcasm.

"It is not," the other spirit replied calmly, refusing to respond in kind to Zangetsu's borderline acidic tone. He was quiet for a few minutes before he spoke again. "It appears as though Ichigo will not be going to sleep again tonight."

Zangetsu clicked his tongue. **"That ain't good. Fourth night in a row now, right?"**

"Mm-hm." The worry in the Old Man's voice was plain and he made no effort to hide it. Despite his origins, the Old Man cared deeply for Ichigo and his well-being, both mentally and physically.

**"I can talk to 'im," **Zangetsu offered, brushing a hand through his white hair and dislodging a multitude of water droplets that splattered on the building below him. The Old Man regarded the hollow for a minute, his expression thoughtful. Eventually, he nodded.

"I believe that would be for the best, as you have been on good terms with him for longer than I have, and you have a history together. Try to avoid fighting him," the spirit added just before Zangetsu materialized himself in the real world.

The hollow Zanpakutō spirit noted how Ichigo jumped and automatically shifted to a more defensive posture in his bed when he appeared. Was Ichigo really this jumpy?

**"Yo, King," **Zangetsu greeted, only to get slammed in the face with a pillow that sent him staggering. The hollow ripped it off his face, scowling. **"Oi! Warn a guy, King! And what the hell was that for, anyway?!"**

"You startled me!" Ichigo retorted, lowering the arm he had used to throw the offending pillow. "Maybe I'm not used to hollows randomly appearing in my room!"

**"Wimp."**

"Idiot."

**"Dumbass."**

"Asshole."

**"Well, this ain't going anywhere," **Zangetsu muttered as he threw the pillow right back at Ichigo with plenty of force behind it. The soft projectile made solid contact with Ichigo's face and caused the orange-haired teen to fall back and sprawl out on his bed, the pillow practically stuck to his face.

Ichigo made a noise that sounded vaguely like a muffled, "ow" and then pulled the pillow from his face, which looked remarkably red. Zangetsu couldn't help the grin that decorated his features when he noticed that detail.

"Why did you materialize?" Ichigo asked, setting the pillow aside and rubbing his eyes. He glanced at the clock, automatically sighing when he saw the time. "Damn. Thought I would get more sleep tonight."

Zangetsu snorted. **"With the nightmares you've been havin? I don't think so."**

"You can see them?"

**"Duh, King. I live in your mind. The hell else am I gonna do durin the night?"**

"I don't know. Destroy buildings?"

Zangetsu winced at the memory of his fellow spirit firing arrow after arrow at Zangetsu for destroying one too many buildings and nearly making Ichigo lose his balance and fall down a flight of stairs as a result.

**"Yeah . . . I've been told that destroyin the buildings ain't the best way ta alleviate boredom."**

Ichigo's expression became confused but Zangetsu waved off his unasked questions. **"Anyway, that ain't important. I came out here 'cause yer inner world is crap right now and I hate gettin wet."**

"Getting wet?" Ichigo repeated, evidently still shaking off the effects of his nightmare. Zangetsu stepped forward for just long enough to swat his partner upside the head.

**"'Course, dumbass! What do ya think _happens_ when it rains? Everyone dries off? Of course we get wet!"**

"Shut up," Ichigo muttered mulishly, rubbing the spot on his head that Zangetsu had hit. "I'm tired."

**"No excuses," **Zangetsu said, crossing his arms. Ichigo just rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Is there anything I can do to make it stop raining?"

The blunt question caught Zangetsu off-guard. He hadn't expected Ichigo to ask about ways to help the situation so quickly.

**"I don't know. Be happy or some shit like that. Stop thinkin about your nightmares."**

Ichigo was struck speechless for a few seconds before he recovered his wits. "Stop thinking about them? Be happy? That's not—it's not—"

Zangetsu raised an eyebrow, expecting Ichigo to finish that statement with the words "that simple", but to his surprise the orange-haired teen trailed off and sighed, putting his face in his hands for a few long seconds.

"I'm so tired," Ichigo eventually groaned. "I can't think straight." He lifted his head up to make eye contact with his Zanpakutō spirit. "Look, I'm sorry. I'll try to stop stressing so you don't have to deal with whatever happens in my inner world when I get upset."

Zangetsu stared at his king without saying anything for what became an awkwardly long time. Ichigo stared right back. "What?" The teenager eventually asked, some irritation in his tone. "Can I go back to sleep?"

**"You're not gonna sleep and ya know it," **Zangetsu said dismissively. His expression became abnormally serious as he regarded Ichigo. **"Do ya want ta talk about it?"**

The question hung in the air and Ichigo's eyes widened slightly in surprise. Zangetsu suppressed the mild anxiety he felt upon asking the question; in the future timeline, he would have had no problem communicating with Ichigo. In this timeline, however, there was still the slightest of gaps between the Zanpakutō and Shinigami, one that was not immediately obvious but would hinder both in a real fight and in regular communication and mutual understanding.

Not that Zangetsu expected Ichigo to get to the idea of complete mutual understanding anytime soon; with that came bankai, and Ichigo wasn't ready for that yet.

After half a minute of mulling it over, Ichigo nodded. "Sure." There was still a touch of incredulity in his tone that Zangetsu found slightly amusing. No doubt the substitute Shinigami had not expected to have a real discussion with Zangetsu; the duo had only done that a few times since their first meeting and it was usually done during combat.

Golden eyes glinting in the moonlight, Zangetsu walked over to Ichigo's bed and shoved the teen's legs out of the way so that he could sit down. The Zanpakutō spirit then scooted back so he could lean against the closed window and relax, ignoring Ichigo's annoyed look the entire time. **"So. What's buggin ya?"**

"If you know about my nightmares, shouldn't you know?"

Zangetsu recognized the delaying tactic and didn't reply beyond an enigmatic, "yes". Realizing that his Zanpakutō spirit wasn't going to be immediately helpful, Ichigo sighed and shifted into a slightly more comfortable position, blinking the sleep out of his eyes as much as he could.

"I don't know. Aizen, the Shinigami, hollows, all of it."

**"Pretty broad spectrum, there, King. Ya know that ain't it; ya can narrow down that list. Are ya seriously scared of Rukia? Renji? Ikkaku?"**

"Yeah, you're right." Ichigo swallowed, casting his gaze to the ceiling while he thought. Zangetsu was content with the silence and he spent it examining his nails and the scar that stretched from the pad of his thumb, across his palm, and to the first knuckle of his pinkie. The mark was the result of a spar with Ichigo when Zangetsu had batted away Ichigo's cleaver with his bare hand—as he had done time and time again in their spars—only to find that his hierro (which, admittedly, was kept at a pretty weak strength during their spars) was no longer strong enough to completely hold up against Ichigo's attacks. The substitute Shinigami had pressed the attack, giving Zangetsu no time to heal the wound, and by the time the hollow had healed it, the cut had already partially healed, resulting in a scar.

Zangetsu could have gotten rid of it, but he chose to keep it as a reminder of Ichigo's potential. That, and Ichigo's power. The kid was the king for a reason.

"The Gotei Thirteen has been around for over a millennia, right?" Ichigo asked, still looking at the ceiling.

**"Yeah."**

"And the Head captain is at least twice that?"

**"Yeah. Why are ya askin?"**

"If they're so ancient, how the hell didn't they notice Aizen? And they murdered the Quincy when there was probably a simpler solution buried in there somewhere. How the hell is an organization like that running the afterlife? And what if they come after me? Or Karin, Yuzu, Orihime, Chad, or Uryū?"

**"Why the hell would they do that?"** Zangetsu growled, beginning to see what Ichigo was getting at.

"Because they tried to kill me originally because of my powers! They clearly don't like the idea of a bunch of humans running around with spiritual awareness!"

**"The guys that were really behind that are dead," **Zangetsu pointed out. **"And they were bein manipulated by Aizen. Plus, you've got a bunch of allies in there now. The Head Captain owes you a debt for helping to uncover the conspiracy, and at least two of the captains—Byakuya and Kenpachi—respect ya."**

"Kenpachi wants to kill me."

**"Same difference for that guy. My point is, ya've got nothin ta fear about that. The Gotei Thirteen and its members are your allies, even if they can be assholes sometimes."**

"Since when did you get so good at making me feel better?" Ichigo asked dryly, raising an eyebrow even as his tone did little to hide the pain lurking in his voice. He was clearly uncomfortable with the seriousness of the discussion and Zangetsu (not for the first time) mentally cursed Ichigo's father for never taking the time to sit and _talk_ with his own damned son. Even around Zangetsu, his closest ally and partner, Ichigo still couldn't open up completely.

Well, Zangetsu was here to fix that. Hopefully. As much as a hollow could fix anything.

**"Practice makes perfect," **Zangetsu replied. **"So why're ya still afraid of Aizen? The bastard's dead; killed 'im myself."**

Ichigo sighed wearily. "I know . . . but I can't help thinking about how he completely overwhelmed and then beat me so easily. Even when I was working with Renji, Aizen took both of us down without even batting an eye." Ichigo's jaw clenched and his voice came out with a touch of bitterness in it. "I was so weak. And even now, I know he could stop my swords just as easily as he did before. What if another one of him shows up? How can I protect my friends, my family? What if I'm not strong enough?"

Zangetsu scowled, closing his eyes for a moment as memories of Yhwach invaded his thoughts. **"You'll just hafta get stronger."**

"If I can't?"

**"You will."**

And there was such determination and conviction in Zangetsu's voice that Ichigo couldn't find it in himself to doubt his Zanpakutō's words. After all, Zangetsu _was_ Ichigo's power, and if Zangetsu said Ichigo could do something, then Ichigo could do it.

Ichigo took another deep breath, confronting the last thing he was willing to talk about for the night. "I'm . . . worried about Karin and Yuzu. Worried about what would happen if a hollow appears and I'm not there to save them."

**"You've got friends that wouldn't let anythin happen to 'em."**

"I know, but what if they can't either?"

**"Fuck, ya could try ta be a little more optimistic."**

"I'm being honest, dammit!" Ichigo snapped, the brief burst of energy fading as quickly as it had appeared. "I don't want to lose them, okay? Not the way I lost Mom. I couldn't have something like that on my head again. Karin and Yuzu deserve happy lives and I already almost completely took away their chance at that."

**"What do ya mean by that?"**

"Mom was killed by a hollow and I couldn't protect her," Ichigo said, a ripple of pain flowing across his frame and bleeding into his voice. "Because of that, Karin and Yuzu barely remember her at all and Dad had to lose the love of his life. And I . . . it was my fault. It hurts." His voice faded to a mere whisper. "It hurts so damn much."

Zangetsu felt the echoes of Ichigo's pain and suppressed a wince at the intensity of it. **"It hurts?"** He repeated questioningly.

"I just . . . dammit. It's hard to explain." Ichigo's voice was strained as he looked down at his lap. His hands were clenched into fists, but as Zangetsu watched, Ichigo forcibly relaxed them and let out a deep breath while running a hand through his hair. "I miss her." His voice cracked. "I miss her a lot. And no matter what I do, I can't help thinking that it's my fault she died. Everyone tries to comfort me and say it wasn't and even after fighting Grand Fisher whenever I think about her it _hurts_ and I can't _breathe_. It's gotten better lately but if Karin or Yuzu is killed in a freak hollow attack I don't know what I'll do but—"

**"You're scared of what ya might do," **Zangetsu finished, his voice empty as he realized just how deep Ichigo's fears ran. In battle, as his Zanpakutō demanded, Ichigo was fearless; but as a normal human he was still traumatized and probably always would be.

"Yeah," Ichigo muttered, swallowing. "Yeah, I—I'm scared of that side of me." He flexed his hands again, staring at them with a disturbingly hollow gaze. "When I fight those idiot thugs and anyone else who challenges me on the streets, it's different; it's not personal, not really, it's just a grudge or something stupid like that. But once or twice things have gotten personal when they threatened my family and I—"

Ichigo cut himself off then, putting his head in his hands before he finished his sentence. "And I did things I'm not proud of."

Zangetsu eyed Ichigo. **"Don't forget, King," **he said, and his voice was surprisingly gentle despite its double-toned quality, **"you're still part hollow. Even when I was dormant ya were bein influenced, if only barely, by me. When yer emotions take over is when yer hollow side is strongest."**

"That doesn't excuse what I did."

**"Nothin probably will, but that's how this shit works. In the long run, did what ya did really affect those idiots?"**

"No."

**"Do ya really feel bad about it after what they did?"**

This time, Ichigo hesitated a moment before once more replying with a negative. Zangetsu smirked, his gentle tone gone. **"Then stop mopin! You're a warrior, King, a fighter! Your job is to protect and that's what you're damn well gonna do! Sure, Mom died but that wasn't your fault! Ya were nine! _Nine_! And look what happened; ya got stronger and ya protected your sisters in her place! Ya did everything right!"**

Ichigo blinked. "Mom," he said. "You referred to her as 'Mom'."

**"Idiot," **Zangetsu said, looking away. **"She's my mom too."**

Silence reigned in Ichigo's room for the next few minutes as the echoes of the last exchange sank into the two boys' minds. After Zangetsu felt that the pause had gone on long enough, he sat up straight, hopped off the bed, and stretched. He then yawned and glanced at the clock.

**"Go ta sleep, King. You're damn lucky it's the weekened."**

Before Ichigo could reply, Zangetsu disappeared and headed back to Ichigo's inner world.

As Zangetsu felt Ichigo's consciousness fade into the land of dreams, he collapsed onto his hands and knees on the side of a building. He tried to swallow, only to find that he couldn't.

A splash of water let the spirit know that he was crying, and the hollowfied Zanpakutō spirit put his right hand to his chest, over where his heart was supposed to be, and squeezed.

**"Dammit, King," **he said, his voice coming out unsteadily despite the spirit's best efforts. His breathing was equally erratic as Zangetsu struggled to get his emotions under control. **"Why . . . fucking _why_?" **Zangetsu slammed his right fist into the building, forming a small crater with the force of the impact. After a minute—which Zangetsu spent pulling himself together—the Zanpakutō spirit rolled over onto his back, gazing at the sky and the numerous other skyscrapers that dotted the landscape for a minute before he sat up. **"Why the hell do ya make yourself care so much?" **His voice became soft, filled with a desire to understand and a fear of doing exactly that.

**"Why do that to yourself?"**

Zangetsu, of course, knew the answer; he'd discussed it (usually in conversations involving bladed weapons) with his wielder, but no matter how many times the spirit heard the reason he couldn't help feeling resentment on Ichigo's behalf.

Why did everyone expect Ichigo to stand on his own? Zangetsu had wanted that in the beginning, but after seeing Ichigo crack and break the spirit had realized that those ideals were pointless and idealistic. Ichigo was only human; he needed support.

He wasn't hollow inside.

A firm hand on his shoulder startled Zangetsu out of his thoughts and he glanced up to see the Old Man standing next to him, gazing into the distance with an unreadable expression. Even so, the Quincy spirit's wordless support was clear.

Zangetsu grinned tiredly. Maybe Ichigo needed moral support, and maybe he would have difficulty finding it elsewhere, but he had plenty of it in his own soul.

* * *

_A/N More Ichigo/Zangetsu bonding. For those of you wondering about Ichigo's relationship with the Old Man, they're pretty close, but Ichigo's known Zangetsu (and looked up to him) for longer, which is why the Old Man usually cedes the handling of these kinds of situations to Zangetsu. Hope you guys enjoyed!_

_Review responses:_

_DARKREAPER72: Assuming you mean what happened in Zangetsu's timeline, I'm not sure. It will be hinted at (and has been), but I've done very little actual planning for this story so I can't say for sure._

_Zaralann: I know I'm using the Rebellion arc. I have an interesting surprise for that one._

_chibissima: Are you asking why Zangetsu and the Old Man haven't told Ichigo about his Quincy heritage yet? If so, they pretty much don't want to deal with it yet._

_Kragh50: Well, you know what Zangetsu planned with Grimmjow. That's one of the arrancar, at least._

_Heavenly God: He actually does that a lot in this story._

_SilverIceRing: Honestly, the lack of good Ichigo/Zangetsu stories that don't involve that stuff is disturbing. Some people have seriously odd minds. In my opinion, anyway. It's part of the reason I wrote this story and I'm glad you like it._

_Moon6Shadow: First off, you officially hold the title of the longest review I've ever seen, which is awesome. Your feedback is incredible. _

_As for Zangetsu meeting the Visored while off on his own, I'm not sure. He may do that (it's an interesting idea that I've been mulling over for a while), but this is a story mostly centered on Ichigo and Zangetsu's interactions. I suppose it could be a conversation between Shinji and Zangetsu about Ichigo . . . which I would be happy to write if I remember it._

_Ha, nice job picking up on that foreshadowing. Ichigo isn't ready for Ulquiorra yet, but he can definitely fight Grimmjow._

_The recurring Grimmjow situation will develop later. Zangetsu considered threatening Ichigo's friends, but couldn't. They're his friends too (though he won't admit it) and he can't put them in danger intentionally despite the potential benefits it would have for Ichigo. Plus, Ichigo would never trust him again._

_But, you acknowledged that you recognize what this story is really about, so your tangent is understandable. Your theories were definitely fun to read!_

_All right, now that the review responses are over, I'll say this: I have no clue when the next update will be. It could be anywhere from two weeks to a month, possibly more, but I'll do my best to get it out soon. Long story short, starting a 600+ episode anime was a mistake. A serious, serious mistake._

_Whoops._

_Until next time,_

_-RoR_

**_Please review._**


	15. Chapter 15

_Next update won't be for a while; this one was just to make up for the long-ass wait. I have to get my shit together before the next one._

* * *

Part 15

"Why are we down here?"

"What are you doing?"

"Where is everyone?"

"Hey. Are you listening to me?"

"What. Are. You. Doing?"

"Stop ignoring me!"

**"Calm down," **Zangetsu said, finishing his cursory examination of Kisuke Urahara's training area to make sure that there were no accidental observers while studiously ignoring Ichigo's questions (because seeing the substitute Shinigami get frustrated was just amusing).

None of Ichigo's friends were present and Yoruichi and Kisuke were both off on some errand with Jinta and Ururu that they hadn't bothered elaborating on. Therefore, the shop and the underground area appeared to be empty because its usual occupants were all otherwise occupied.

Not that Zangetsu really cared about what it was that they were doing. Kisuke had given Zangetsu free run (almost free run; there were some areas that only Kisuke was allowed in, and though Zangetsu was curious as to what those off-limits areas contained, he also _really_ didn't want to know) of his shop after coming to the conclusion that the hollow was trustworthy. Mostly trustworthy, anyway.

"Why are we here?" Ichigo asked, demonstrating unusual patience as he reigned in his temper and composed his expression into his normal scowl. "Are we doing training here?"

**"No."**

"Then why—"

**"We're not doin trainin _here_," **Zangetsu repeated, emphasizing the last word. **"We're doin it in Hueco Mundo."**

Ichigo paused. "What?"

**"Hueco Mundo. Ya know, the world of hollows? That one? Ringin any bells, dumbass?"**

"Shut up. Why are we going to Hueco Mundo to train when this training ground is right here? And how would we even _get_ to Hueco Mundo?"

**"Ya need ta learn how ta fight in a different environment,**" Zangetsu replied. **"Plus, Kisuke would get mad at me if I destroyed the place again."**

"Again?"

**"And the hollows in Hueco Mundo will force ya ta adapt ta different fightin styles quickly," **Zangetsu continued as though Ichigo had never spoken.

"You still haven't said how we're even going to get there."

Zangetsu was secretly pleased that Ichigo wasn't complaining but he didn't let Ichigo notice. **"It's easy. We use a Garganta."**

"Garganta? I don't know if you haven't noticed, but Shinigami can't make Garganta. They use the Senkaimon, and that doesn't really go to Hueco Mundo."

**"I _know_ that, idiot," **Zangetsu snapped, revising his opinion of his king's intelligence. **"But you're not a regular Shinigami, so all ya gotta do is use your hollow abilities ta get it ta work."**

"Wait. You know how to make one?"

**"'Course."**

To demonstrate, Zangetsu reached out and seemed to simply tap the air near him. With an odd sound, the space tore and distorted before ripping. A gaping black maw opened up, nothing but inky swirling darkness lying beyond it.

Ichigo blinked. "Oh. So that's what you did in Soul Society."

Zangetsu rolled his eyes and turned back to the Garganta before shrugging. In a moment, he returned to Ichigo's inner world.

**"Oi!"** He called to the skies of Ichigo's inner world.

_"What?"_

**"When ya go through the Garganta, focus on manipulatin your Reiatsu and makin a platform under your feet. Otherwise you'll fall inta the void."**

_"Sounds like fun."_

Zangetsu watched through Ichigo's eyes as the substitute Shinigami ran through the rip between worlds. Just as he was nearing the exit, Zangetsu spoke up again.

**"By the way, King, how're your landings?"**

_"My what? Landings? Why do you—oh, _fuck_!"_

* * *

**"No."**

**"Too slow."**

**"Shoulda ducked."**

**"Shoulda jumped."**

**"Still too slow."**

**"Wrong way, dumbass."**

**"That looked painful."**

**"Are ya tryin ta get hit?"**

**"Man. Ya practically invited his fist ta hit your face."**

**"I'm faster than your Shunpo with my legs tied together."**

"If you're so much better than me," Ichigo growled from within the massive horde of hollows that had swarmed him, thoroughly irritated by Zangetsu's dry commentary of his fighting prowess, "then why don't you do this?! And why the hell can't I use Getsuga Tenshō?!"

**"'Cause then this wouldn't be trainin,"** Zangetsu replied, stretching languidly from his position on a sand dune some distance from where Ichigo was fighting.

Zangetsu had to admit that dragging Ichigo to Hueco Mundo was one of his better decisions.

The Zanpakutō spirit had his reasons for doing the somewhat unusual training (most Shinigami probably weren't thrown into Hueco Mundo with nothing but their Zanpakutō and survival instincts as a form of training). Hollows, especially Adjuchas level and above, had vastly different abilities between them. They were also relatively powerful, enough so that Ichigo would not be able to simply cleave through them and move on. Fighting multiple at once would force Ichigo into learning how to adapt to new fighting styles quickly at the risk of getting seriously wounded or even dying, since the hollows weren't pulling their punches at the prospect of a delicious meal.

Of course, Zangetsu wouldn't let Ichigo _die_, but if the idiot got himself seriously injured then Zangetsu would have to give him a crash course in Instant Regeneration.

It was also endurance work because more and more hollows kept coming. Zangetsu had taken the liberty of "borrowing" some hollow bait from the Twelfth Division during the trip to Soul Society (and they were none the wiser, though Zangetsu suspected that Kurotsuchi knew that something was missing, the creep) and he was using them to lure hollows to Ichigo's location even though Ichigo's massive Reiatsu would have normally scared them off.

And then Zangetsu had told Ichigo that using Getsuga Tenshō was out of the question and that Shunpo and Sonido had to be used interchangeably. As the Zanpakutō spirit had expected, Ichigo had reminded Zangetsu that he didn't technically _know _Sonido, but the spirit had fixed that within an hour of chasing Ichigo around the sands while laughing manically and flinging Balas left and right.

It turned out that outright terror was also a fantastic motivational tool for training, not that Zangetsu had known that when he started.

Originally, the hollows had tried to go after Zangetsu (who had materialized so that he could break the hollow bait and monitor Ichigo from a third-person perspective), but all it took was a bloodthirsty grin from the Zanpakutō spirit and the hollows would back off, their instincts warning them not to touch or even approach the white-clad teenager.

The substitute Shinigami had been fighting for a few hours now and Zangetsu noted that he was covered in cuts, bruises, and a few more serious injuries. However, the serious injuries were not fatal; Ichigo's recently discovered Hierro was doing a fantastic job of stopping the hollows' attacks. Still, Ichigo was panting, his chest heaving even as he spun out of the way of a cero and cleaved the offending monster in half. He was immediately beset by five more hollows, one of which spat an acid-like substance out of his mouth that Ichigo only barely avoided. A few drops still landed on his forearm and the orange-haired teen hissed in pain as his skin bubbled and burned. The acid-spitting hollow was dealt with a second later.

The fighting was far more intense than the training with Urahara that Ichigo had undergone before travelling to Soul Society. The pace of that training had been far lower than what Ichigo was working on now; even with Zangetsu doing more than half of the work, Ichigo hadn't been able to do any of the more challenging moves. The kid hadn't even learned Shunpo yet and he got fairly frequent (if brief) rests from the training so that he wouldn't show up to Soul Society sore and exhausted. Now, however, Ichigo was constantly beset by hollows of all shapes and sizes and talents, meaning that neither his mind nor body got any rest for any length of time. With Getsuga Tenshō off-limits, Ichigo had very few options when it came to clearing away large numbers of hollows and giving himself a break. The one time he had tried to Shunpo to a safer distance, Zangetsu had thrown him right back into the thick of things.

The Zanpakutō spirit had no doubt that Ichigo was cursing him in the back of his mind. For some reason, the phrase, "you sadistic bastard" had been running through Zangetsu's head for the past two hours or so.

Zangetsu watched Ichigo critically, the serious look in his eyes not matching the automatic grin that covered his features as Zangetsu's neutral expression, so unlike that of Ichigo's. The orange-haired teen's fighting style had already expanded and matured considerably in just a few hours. He was adapting to the fights as they happened and unconsciously switching his style to match. Shunpo and Sonido were being used almost seamlessly to capitalize on openings that had been too quick for Ichigo to reach mere hours before. His swings were stronger, his strikes faster, and his defense far better. He still suffered injuries, but they were increasingly because of surprise attacks rather than big mistakes. Even then, Ichigo's reactions had sharpened to the point that he could typically lessen the severity of the attacks before he was hit.

And Ichigo probably didn't realize it, but his Reiatsu sense was improving as well. The substitute Shinigami was sensing the hollows before they attacked, reading their Reiatsu and automatically moving to block when it rose with the beginnings of a cero or Bala.

It was damn impressive to watch.

Ichigo still had a long way to go, however, as demonstrated when he took a claw to the back as he stumbled from overextending himself against a different hollow. Zangetsu blinked once and the hollows were disintegrating, a frustrated Ichigo already taking off to combat new arrivals.

Zangetsu watched as Ichigo ducked under a sweep from a bear-like Adjuchas and then executed a perfect jab that put his cleaver straight through the hollow's mask. It screeched and faded, which only enraged the nearby hollows, making them attack the substitute Shinigami with renewed vigor.

Ichigo staggered as one hollow slammed the ground and made the sand heave and then fly into the air in a way reminiscent of a sandstorm. The substitute Shinigami, rendered unable to see by the flying particles, was blindsided by a bone spike being run through his torso and despite the pain that was no doubt circulating throughout his system Ichigo still turned and swung his swords with enough force to push the sand away and disperse it completely while also bisecting the hollow that had stabbed him.

Ichigo's blood dripped onto the sand, splattering and staining it crimson. The wound wasn't fatal, but Ichigo would no doubt die of blood loss within a few minutes.

**"Ya gotta trust more than just your eyes!" **Zangetsu shouted, his voice mocking. **"Keep that up and you'll get your head cut off before ya even realize you've been attacked!"**

"I _know_!" Ichigo growled, wincing only slightly as he was no doubt plagued with more pain from his wound. He sprang into motion once again as a hollow tried to eviscerate him, retaliating with brutal efficiency.

**"Stop fuckin _thinkin_, King!" **Zangetsu shouted as Ichigo got blindsided by a brutal kick that sent him flying. The substitute Shinigami cried out in pain, blood flying from his mouth. **"And fine, ya can use your damn mask!"**

The words didn't seem to register with Ichigo at first but when they did he froze for the briefest of moments only to grin a second later. He brought his hand in front of his face and then ripped it to one side, causing black Reishi to accumulate over his face and then solidify into a bone-white mask. The grin it sported was chilling and savage, highlighted only by the red lines marring the white surface.

Ichigo didn't appear to notice, but with the use of the mask Zangetsu was able to subtly use Ichigo's Instant Regeneration and heal the hole in his abdomen to the point where it probably wouldn't kill him. It wouldn't do for Ichigo to stop fighting already, after all.

The hollows within thirty meters of Ichigo all froze as Ichigo's Reiatsu became far heavier and denser. A few weaker ones even fell to their knees (or whatever appendages passed for their knees) under the crippling pressure.

"Dangeroussss," a nearby snake-like hollow hissed, its glowing eyes narrowed to slits behind its mask. "Hollow . . . The Shinigami issss hollow."

The Adjuchas could not say anything else because a moment later it was cleaved in half by Ichigo's two swords, its nearby brethren following in its wake shortly after. Ichigo's eyes gleamed gold in the eternal moonlight as he ripped through any hollow unfortunate enough to be lured in by the bait. Zangetsu could easily feel his king's elation and savage pleasure as the teen fought. His exhaustion seemed to be entirely forgotten and every movement was immediate and instinctual.

After a mere five minutes, however, Ichigo suddenly staggered, the mask cracking and falling from his face, revealing his shocked expression. The fire in his eyes died as the strain of using his hollow power for so long so soon after fighting for hours already set in and he collapsed.

Zangetsu intervened just in time to prevent Ichigo from getting beheaded and made quick work of the remaining hollows before using his considerable Reiatsu to warn off any other hollows idiotic enough to even think of approaching. Fortunately, the effects of the latest hollow bait were wearing off, allowing the Zanpakutō and substitute Shinigami a reprieve from the fighting.

**"Didn't ya fight Kisuke for ten days straight? This is kinda pathetic in comparison."**

Ichigo tilted his head to regard Zangetsu with a one-eyed glare. He was lying on his stomach, his body apparently rendered immobile from the strain it had been under for the past few hours.

"Mr. Hat-n-Clogs was going easy on me," Ichigo said, struggling to avoid slurring his words. "Plus, I took brief breaks . . . while I was running from him. There were . . . no breaks here. And the mask took . . . most of the rest of my energy."

**"We'll work on your endurance with that," **Zangetsu said. **"The Visored'll help too."**

"They didn't want me to leave so soon," Ichigo muttered.

**"Yeah. You'll be goin back ta their place again."**

"Great. Hiyori's still pissed at me from last time."

**"Ya did pat her on the head like she was a child. That was your own fault."**

"It was automatic! It's not my fault she's so short!"

Zangetsu snickered. **"Don't let her hear ya say that, King."**

Ichigo blanched at the mere thought but quickly cleared his expression. "Anyway, where did you get that hollow bait?" He frowned. "Are they Uryū's? Crap, he's gonna blame me for that!"

**"Not my problem," **Zangetsu replied easily, grinning and almost cheerfully ignoring the glare Ichigo was sending his way. He decided not to mention that the bait was actually from Soul Society, not the stuck-up Quincy. It was more amusing that way.

After a few minutes spent in companionable silence, Ichigo levered himself into a sitting position and adjusted himself in the sand to make the space more comfortable. "Quiet," he remarked, his eyes scanning the distant horizon.

It was true. There was little wind and no leaves to create noise. What few creatures lingered nearby had gone to ground and hidden to avoid the substitute Shinigami, leaving nothing but the desolate howling of hollows in the far distance. Zangetsu glanced at his king and saw goose bumps on Ichigo's arms, though he didn't appear to be cold.

Noticing Zangetsu's look, Ichigo gave a slight shrug. "I want to keep fighting," he said by way of explanation. "Those hollows could be good opponents and sitting here while they wander this place seems wrong."

**"Ta be fair," **Zangetsu said, **"you're the one that's outta place here."**

Ichigo glanced down at his hands and manifested his mask, holding it loosely. "Kind of," he muttered, examining it.

Zangetsu rolled his eyes, grabbed the mask, and whacked Ichigo over the head with it before making it dissipate.

"Ow, what the hell, Zangetsu?" Ichigo snapped, holding his head and scowling. Hearing no answer, Ichigo glanced up and realized that his Zanpakutō spirit had frozen in place, his gaze fixed in the direction of the looming castle in the distance. "Oi, what's the matter? Something over there?"

**"Time ta go," **Zangetsu growled, abruptly getting up and hauling Ichigo to his feet while ignoring the orange-haired boy's question. **"Listen, ya got about a minute ta learn how ta open a Garganta."**

"Hold on, what?"

**"Garganta. Open one. Soon."**

Ichigo blinked. "How the hell do I open a Garganta?"

Zangetsu groaned. **"You're an idiot. Just open one!"**

"Hey, it's not like I just magically know how to open a rip in space!" Ichigo snapped. "You think I can just tap the air right here and—" in the space that Ichigo had tapped, a black rip appeared—"oh."

The black tear rapidly expanded and with the sound of something being ripped open a gaping maw of darkness appeared, slightly wider than Ichigo was tall and just barely at a height that Ichigo could step through without ducking. Zangetsu examined it critically for a moment.

**"Not bad for a first try," **he stated, grabbing Ichigo by the wrist and stepping inside, pulling the black-clad teenager along with him. The duo fell for just a moment before Zangetsu created a platform of Reishi beneath their feet. **"Could be better, though. Taller, too. We probably won't die."**

Ichigo scowled. "You could at least explain why we have to go so suddenly." Despite his irritated tone, Zangetsu could detect the slightest undercurrent of pride in Ichigo's tone at being able to open a Garganta. The teenager had already chosen to look over the fact that he had done it entirely on accident.

**"You'll find out later. Now wait for a second," **Zangetsu instructed, turning around to look back out at the desert landscape of Hueco Mundo. With a mocking grin, he saluted to the blue-haired figure that was approaching at incredible speed.

Grimmjow arrived just as the rip between worlds slammed shut, eyes wild with bloodlust.

Zangetsu's parting words lingered on the air: **"Next time, arrancar."**

* * *

_A/N Now you're all going to have to wait for the Grimmjow fight. Whoops. (I'm kidding. I don't feel bad at all.)_

_Reviews:_

_Furudere: He got his Shinigami powers from his dad, and Quincy and Hollow ones from his mom._

_Zaralann: Yup. It's gonna be fun._

_QueenKarin13: I dunno._

_Snowyh2o: Oh, you people are gonna love the next Visored/Ichigo/Zangetsu meet-up. I'm writing it right now and giggling to myself._

_If you can't tell, my brain is fried. I'm gonna go sleep for twelve hours straight. Before I do that, though, I feel like saying a few words, the most important of which being: Holy crap. I never expected this story to get so popular. Thank you for the support!_

_Until next time,_

_-RoR_

**_Please review._**


	16. Chapter 16

_God damn it, One Piece. Right when I -_

_Oh, right. Not the greatest way to start off a chapter for a Bleach fanfic. My bad. Anyway, chapter's out a little late (next one won't be for a while; final exams suck, but this chapter is longer than usual by almost 1000 words to compensate) and I think you guys will like it. Also, I just feel like mentioning this: this story is saved as "Zangetsu Oneshot" in my computer. You see that second word? Yeah, that plan backfired._

_Not much else to say, really, other than that there shall be shenanigans in later chapters. (I tip my hat to you, Kisuke; you're merciless)._

* * *

Part 16

With a heavy groan, Zangetsu lay back on the massive skyscraper and wondered why the hell all of this was _his _problem. His Quincy counterpart stood a few meters away, vaguely amused by the hollowfied Zanpakutō's rare despondent mood.

**"The hell're you lookin' at?"** Zangetsu growled, itching to start a fight but reminding himself that fighting his Quincy counterpart was about as satisfying as slamming his head into a wall—meaning, not at all satisfying.

"Nothing, nothing at all. You are the one trying to pick a fight."

**"Go ta hell. I am not."**

"Really."

Zangetsu huffed and turned away from his Quincy counterpart, crossing his arms. **"Well, now that ya pissed me off, I ain't askin' ya for help."**

The Old Man raised one eyebrow in curiosity. "Help? You? For what purpose?"

**"I ain't tellin' ya."**

"Do you want my help?"

**"No," **Zangetsu drawled mulishly. **"'Course not, Quincy."**

"You're asking for my help."

**"Am not!"**

"You're a terrible liar."

**"Shut up! I'm a great liar! Ichigo thought I was tryin' ta kill him the last time we fought, so I'm great at trickin' people!"**

"You _were_ trying to kill him."

Zangetsu's triumphant grin dimmed slightly. **"So?"**

The Old Man sighed. "Never mind. Now what are you thinking about that's making you so moody?"

**"I ain't _moody_."**

"Yes, you are."

Zangetsu rolled his eyes. **"Tch. Whatever. I'm just thinkin' 'bout how I'm trainin' King."**

"You're having him fight almost a hundred hollows at once," the Old Man said dryly. "Perhaps there is a better method to teaching Ichigo the finer points of swordsmanship. Your style is quite . . . brutal."

**"Effective," **Zangetsu corrected. **"But yeah, I hate ta admit it, but you're right. King's durable and strong, but he doesn't know anythin' about a formal style of fightin'. But that sakkat captain won't train him in this timeline."**

"He won't? He seemed reasonable enough."

Zangetsu sighed, his grin dimming for a moment. **"Well, he would, but he would probably make some weird demand. Somethin' with girls. Plus, Ichigo would owe him and I don't want that."**

"Why not?"

**"In case somethin' goes wrong with the Gotei Thirteen, I don't want Ichigo indebted to them in any way."**

"You want to keep Ichigo as independent as possible. Is it because he's still living?"

**"Yeah. The guy has his hands full enough with Karakura Town; Soul Society politics don't need ta add ta his problems."**

"Politics? You think the Central Forty-Six would go against Ichigo?"

Zangetsu's grin became far more dangerous. **"The only reason they didn't in my timeline is 'cause they needed King's power to fight Aizen. And then they were destroyed before they could give any stupid orders like arrestin' King after the war was won. If they'd been able, they probably would've."**

"I see." The Old Man looked troubled, but not unduly surprised. "I did not like the way they handled Aizen's defection; it appears that my feelings were warranted."

**"Yeah. Anyway, I can teach Ichigo everythin' he needs ta know about swordsmanship; we were both taught by that sakkat captain, and though I don't like his style as much as mine I can still teach it. But that ain't King's main problem now."**

"You're focusing on his mind. His willpower."

**"I am. The idiot's plenty strong but he needs a better motivation for fightin'."**

"He fights to protect those he cares about. Isn't that reason enough? He battles without hesitation, without fear, without looking back because he treasures his family and friends."

Zangetsu scoffed. **"Sure. He's got his noble reasons and whatever, but there's somethin' King hasn't really grasped yet. He came close with Kenpachi, closer when we fought while with the Visored, but he hasn't gotten it yet."**

"What is 'it'?"

**"He's born ta fight," **Zangetsu said simply. **"Everythin' he does, whether he realizes it or not, is ta get stronger for his next fight. Even I don't know exactly what it is—whether he fights ta gain power or gains power ta fight. Kenpachi's on the same mission ta figure it out, and if that guy can't, Ichigo won't."**

"You want him to fight just to fight?" The Quincy spirit's voice was disapproving. "That's not a good reason and will get him killed."

**"I never said it was a _reason_. It's a _motivation_. They aren't the same thing here. King needs ta realize that sometimes protectin' your family or friends ain't enough. It's instinct, sometimes, ta fight someone. Choosin' an enemy and makin' them your opponent, and battlin' just 'cause your instincts tell ya to."**

The Old Man tracked Zangetsu with his eyes as the hollow began pacing. "You have a plan?"

**"'Course not. I ain't a planner. I just do shit and hope for the best. It worked out before."**

"Didn't Kisuke Urahara help you?"

**"Maybe." ** Zangetsu paused just long enough to glance at the other man before continuing to pace. **"Either way, I don't know if what I'm thinkin' of is gonna work. Ichigo needs ta get it through his head that there are some opponents out there that he simply can't beat with the power he's got right now."**

"You want to motivate him to get stronger by facing him with an enemy he can't beat? That could break his will."

**"Are ya really that doubtful of him?"**

"Of course not. I am a piece of him just as much as you are. I simply think that there are better ways to do this."

Zangetsu stopped, grinned, and tilted his head to one side while spreading his arms almost mockingly. **"I'm all ears."**

The Old Man thought for a moment before sighing and looking away. "Fine. But are you _sure_?"

**"I know what's best for 'im," **Zangetsu growled, sudden doubt that had been previously hidden flashing across his face. He ran a hand through his hair in a nervous gesture that made him appear remarkably like Ichigo in all but color. **"I mean, I'm his Zanpakutō. Part of it, at least. I'm _him_. I _know_ what he needs."**

"Then you should be more confident, should you not?" There was a wry smile on the Quincy spirit's face, and for the first time Zangetsu realized that the other spirit did genuinely appreciate him in this timeline. The thought was strangely comforting.

The simple question made Zangetsu pause in his pacing again. **"Huh. I guess you're right." **The hollow Zanpakutō spirit eyed his Quincy counterpart shrewdly. **"Never thought I'd be gettin' advice from _you_ of all people on somethin' like this."**

"I have a feeling that today is going to be a day of new experiences," said the older-looking Zangetsu, the slightest of smirks pulling at his lips. The spirit had evidently decided not to mention how Zangetsu hadn't been open to advice at the beginning of their conversation.

**"Ya may be right on that."**

Nerves abated, Zangetsu steeled himself for what was to come and brought his hands to his mouth to shout. The entirety of Ichigo's inner world seemed to still for just a second as Zangetsu gathered his breath. The Quincy spirit's eyes widened and he hastily covered his ears.

**"OI, KING, WAKE THE HELL UP YA LAZY BASTARD! WE GOT WORK TA DO!"**

* * *

Ichigo had recovered from waking up so suddenly with remarkable ease, a feat that Zangetsu attributed to his father's unorthodox method of waking Ichigo up. Of course, some of the words that Ichigo had spoken in his first moments of consciousness made even Zangetsu raise an eyebrow.

"What do you want?" Ichigo muttered, getting dressed at the insistence of his Zanpakutō spirit. "I could've slept in for another six hours; it's the middle of the night!" Ichigo made sure to keep his voice at a whisper so he wouldn't wake up his father, the last person he wanted to deal with when he was so tired.

Zangetsu grinned at the sky from within Ichigo's inner world. **"Go to Kisuke's basement. We're gonna need the barriers he's put up around it."**

It took Ichigo several minutes to make it to Kisuke's and he spent most of the time snapping irritated comments at his far-too-energetic Zanpakutō. When he did arrive, he was surprised to see Kisuke waiting.

"Ah, Ichigo, it's good to see you," the shopkeeper greeted easily. "Please, come in. Your Zanpakutō has already informed me of your plan." Ichigo tried and failed to keep the bewildered look off his face as Kisuke ushered him through the shop. Before he could even formulate any questions, Kisuke suddenly shoved him over the opening to the basement training area. The shopkeeper's eyes glinted with mischievous light. "Enjoy yourself!"

"What the _hell_!" Ichigo shouted, the phrase not even a question as he fell towards the ground. "I'm in my human body, you dumbass!"

Kisuke's words drifted through the air. "I'm sure you'll figure something out!"

"That _bastard_," Ichigo growled, but before he could say anything else his fall was suddenly stopped. Zangetsu grinned down at him, having materialized of his own power.

**"Man, and here I thought you'd be able to get out of your own body in time. I guess not."**

Sure enough, Zangetsu only had to lower himself a little bit to get his feet on the ground, and when he did he unceremoniously dropped Ichigo on the ground. **"Get out of your body, King. We've got shit ta do."**

Ichigo's scowl deepened but he stood and complied, hitting his chest with the substitute badge and then gently lowering his soulless body to the ground. Zangetsu waited until Ichigo was ready before gesturing to the air to his right. **"Well? Ya gonna open a Garganta or not?"**

Ichigo shot his inner hollow a blistering look—apparently he _really_ didn't like being woken up like this—but tapped the air anyway, a look of concentration on his face that melted into brief satisfaction as the air warped, twisted, and split to reveal the gaping maw of a Garganta. Without even asking why he had to do it, Ichigo jumped through, Zangetsu returning to his inner world in an instant.

* * *

If Zangetsu had to guess what the first words out of Ichigo's mouth would be (if the substitute Shinigami had the breath to speak), he would have gone with something along the lines of, "what the fuck". It seemed appropriate considering that Ichigo was currently getting his ass kicked by Grimmjow, who hadn't even entered Resurrección, partly because he didn't need to and partly because he didn't think Ichigo was currently worth it.

Zangetsu agreed. Ichigo looked pathetic; his face was covered in blood, and more crimson dripped down his arms and splattered onto the sands of Hueco Mundo. Blood even ran down his two Shikai blades, pooling at the tips before falling off, creating intricate and temporary patterns on the midnight black metal. Even from his observing position almost fifty meters away, Zangetsu could see that Ichigo looked like crap.

Ichigo was breathing hard, his face set in a fearsome scowl even as he spat out blood. "Why the hell," he growled, eyes burning with fire as he glared at Grimmjow, "can't I cut you?!"

Grimmjow looked bored and even glanced at Zangetsu with a raised eyebrow. The hollowfied Zanpakutō shrugged. He'd given Grimmjow a suggestion (order) to fight Ichigo (but not kill him), and the arrancar had agreed, thinking that it would be a good fight. So far, Ichigo was clearly letting him down. After searching the spirit's gaze for a moment, Grimmjow sighed and looked back at Ichigo.

"It's 'cause you aren't strong enough, kid. Go home; you're not ready to fight me yet."

"Like hell I'm not!"

Grimmjow made an annoyed noise in the back of his throat before lunging at Ichigo so quickly the substitute Shinigami only barely dodged. Ichigo instinctively brought his blades down in a move that easily would have severed Grimmjow's spine, only for the blades to bounce off Grimmjow's forearm, which had already been raised in a block.

"I told you," Grimmjow snarled, bringing his sword around (at least Ichigo had gotten him to draw it) and slicing into Ichigo's back, "you're not strong enough!"

Ichigo's still-new hierro did stop most of the blade's momentum, but the cut was still dangerous and as Ichigo stepped away, more blood fell to the sands.

"Damn you," he growled, staggering. Grimmjow didn't even smile as he kicked Ichigo savagely in the back, sending the substitute Shinigami to the ground.

"Damn me all you like, kid," Grimmjow said, "but it's not going to change things. You're just not at a level where you can compete with me." Grimmjow tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, examining Ichigo critically. "Honestly, with the way you are now, you'll never get to my level."

Ichigo turned his head just enough to glare at Grimmjow with one smoldering eye. "What the hell is that supposed to mean, bastard?"

"Don't insult me," Grimmjow snapped, bringing his foot down on Ichigo's already injured back. To his credit, Ichigo didn't cry out, but Zangetsu could feel the pain of Ichigo's wounds easily and it wasn't exactly negligible. "How many times to I have to repeat myself before you get it through your thick skull? You can't beat me! You don't have the drive to even break my hierro, which, considering how much Reiatsu you've been pouring off recently, is just fuckin sad. Without any kind of willpower you can't hope to beat _any_ of the arrancar here, much less _me_!"

Zangetsu's eyes narrowed, focusing solely on Ichigo. The teenager had his usual scowl on his face—now practically thunderous from the rage born of helplessness that echoed through his core—but there was an odd emotion buried beneath, one that Zangetsu knew came from Ichigo's inability to comprehend exactly what was being said to him.

The kid wasn't stupid, sure, but he could be remarkably dense at times. Thinking about it, Zangetsu realized that he would have to intervene after all. The Zanpakutō spirit took a deep breath.

**"Oi, King, what the hell're ya doin on the ground? Get the hell up!"**

Ichigo and Grimmjow both stiffened at the sound of Zangetsu's voice, though for entirely different reasons. Zangetsu had no doubt that the memory of his power was still fresh in Grimmjow's mind, and the arrancar's survival instincts would no doubt be telling him to be cautious.

**"Oi! I told ya ta get up!"**

Ichigo looked at Zangetsu, moving his neck painfully to do so. "Why . . . are you just watching?"

Zangetsu's grin changed to grimace for a split second. **"It ain't my fight, much as I would like ta beat the shit outta both of ya."**

If Ichigo noticed Grimmjow going pale, he didn't comment. Instead, he became angrier. "It isn't your fight? You're my Zanpakutō! We fight together!"

**"IDIOT!"** Zangetsu roared, his Reiatsu lashing out and creating a harsh wind until he reined it back in. Even so, he was clearly still seething. **"Ya don't get it. I'm your Zanpakutō, yeah, and so is the Old Man, but we don't fight 'together', dammit! That ain't how it works!"**

"Then how does it work?" Ichigo shouted, scowling.

**"I won't just explain it ta you! That's for a different time!" **Zangetsu abruptly calmed, his usual sickening grin returning as quickly as it had disappeared.

He _wanted_ to tell Ichigo how they were supposed to fight, how Zanpakutō were really meant to be wielded, but Ichigo simply wasn't ready. It was a readiness entirely unrelated to Ichigo's fighting prowess; the teen needed to mature before he could start the path to bankai.

Because that was where those questions led. And Ichigo couldn't get bankai yet.

For now, the substitute Shinigami had to understand just _why_ he fought, because, though he didn't know it, his reasons were far more primal than simply wanting to protect.

**"Now, King," **Zangetsu continued, his voice drifting eerily on the open air, **"are ya really so blind ta yourself that ya think ya just fight to protect?" **Zangetsu's grin, in a feat that shouldn't have been physically possible, widened even more. **"Don't make me laugh. Now _get up_."**

Eyes wide, Ichigo obeyed, his limbs shaking until Ichigo staggered a step and recovered his balance. Grimmjow looked surprised and he took a step away, sensing that something in the battle had just shifted.

**"Figure it out!"** Zangetsu shouted, expression manic and his body taut with barely suppressed insanity. **"Realize what drives you, Ichigo, and rule it! Rule it all! Be the fuckin' KING!"**

The peace that had descended while Zangetsu spoke shattered like glass as Ichigo suddenly lunged at Grimmjow, his expression unreadable. Zangetsu watched while Grimmjow was suddenly hard-pressed to defend himself as Ichigo's strikes began to draw blood. At first, it was only a shallow cut, but Ichigo's attacks grew faster and fiercer with each passing second.

Through it all, Zangetsu laughed. He had nudged the instincts buried in Ichigo's core, temporarily overwhelming Ichigo's natural mindset in favor of the ferocity that lurked within. It was exhilarating.

The fight raged on and at some point Grimmjow had to release his Resurrección as the injuries Ichigo inflicted on him became too much to bear. Even then, a Getsuga Jūjishō had nearly separated all his limbs from his newly healed body.

The confusion in Grimmjow's eyes was mirrored in Ichigo's, though for the orange-headed teen it was far more muted. Zangetsu grinned, enjoying the show as Ichigo brought his cleaver blade down and then twisted in a feint to stab Grimmjow in the stomach with his trench blade. The arrancar barely dodged but countered with a cero that blasted Ichigo back. The teenager recovered quickly and the two clashed again and again, each blow sending sand in all directions with the shockwaves.

Zangetsu knew he would pay for what he had done later; Ichigo wouldn't like having his mind messed with, especially not when it left him out of control and far more bloodthirsty than he usually was.

But the hollowfied Zanpakutō didn't really care about the backlash he was going to get. He was doing it for Ichigo, after all, and sooner or later the idiot would realize why.

It took Ichigo five days of being woken up in the middle of the night to fight Grimmjow to understand Zangetsu's point from the first day.

Zangetsu saw it happen, and it had been one of the best things he'd seen until that point, easily surpassing the moment when Ichigo had discovered his hierro.

Ichigo fought against Grimmjow as he had been doing for almost a week, again with a mental shove he didn't know he was getting from Zangetsu. But this time was different.

Ichigo, the teenager known for his intimidating scowls and glares that could send bullies and thugs running in an instant, the boy who had beaten Tatsuki in a karate match, the boy who had stormed Soul Society to save a friend and come out alive and still with a scowl on his face, was grinning.

It wasn't a nice grin. No, the grin held something savage and primal within it, an ageless hunger and bloodlust that needed no motivation and desired nothing but opponents. It was the signal for Zangetsu to match the expression as Grimmjow was sent to the sands from the teenager's kick, executed with enough force to create velocity rings in the air and a crater where Grimmjow's body impacted.

A madness lurked in Ichigo's eyes, a madness that Zangetsu was all too familiar with. Realizing that the lesson was over, Zangetsu used Sonido and appeared in front of Ichigo, grabbing the teenager's wrists to stop him from moving his swords. Ichigo didn't even hesitate, nearly catching Zangetsu with a savage kick much like the one that had downed Grimmjow, but the Zanpakutō spirit dodged it and wrenched Ichigo's wrists back, breaking both of them.

Ichigo hissed in pain, dropping his swords when his hands no longer had the strength to hold them. Zangetsu caught the weapons easily.

**"You're done, King," **he said, his gaze meeting Ichigo's. His expression was as bloodthirsty as Ichigo's, but his eyes were icy. **"Relax."**

Ichigo tensed, clearly about to attack before Zangetsu brutally kicked him in the side, sending Ichigo flying sideways until he plowed into the sand and created a massive plume of dust.

**"Dumbass," **Zangetsu muttered. **"Can't even realize when a battle's really over yet."** The Zanpakutō spirit glanced down to where Grimmjow was slowly picking himself up. The arrancar had dropped out of Resurrección and looked beat up but not completely incapacitated. **"Oi! If you're not dead, then go back to whatever the hell ya normally do! We're done here for now!"**

Grimmjow scowled. "You're stopping the fight? Why the fuck would I accept that? Things were just starting to get fun!"

**"They'll be even better next time," **Zangetsu replied, his words ringing with conviction. **"If ya kill him now, you'll miss out on what he'll become."**

The former Espada hesitated before scoffing and turning away. "Fine. But if he doesn't come back, I'll hunt him down and kill him."

Zangetsu didn't respond as the arrancar left. Instead, he went to where Ichigo was coughing and sitting up. The teen glanced up when Zangetsu landed and then caught the swords that the hollow tossed at him, only for the pain of his broken wrists to finally register with his shocked brain. With a hiss of pain, Ichigo dropped his swords again and cradled his arms, adrenaline no longer muting his pain receptors.

**"Hurts, doesn't it," **Zangetsu commented, standing over Ichigo. The substitute Shinigami nodded, his eyes shut. He was trying to flex his fingers and wincing slightly every time the pain hit. **"Just this once, I'll help ya. Next time, you're on your own." **Ichigo nodded again and Zangetsu kneeled next to him, grabbing his wrists—while ignoring Ichigo's cursing—and forcing Ichigo's hollow powers to awaken for a minute, just long enough for Instant Regeneration to heal Ichigo's wounds.

Ichigo blinked as Zangetsu stood back up and then he flexed his wrists, his scowl lightening slightly when he found that they were completely healed. "Handy," was all he said. Then he looked back up at Zangetsu, his serious demeanor back. "I get it now."

Zangetsu grinned. **"Do you really?"**

Not to be deterred, Ichigo grunted an affirmative and stood up, sheathing his blades in the process. "You've always emphasized my fighting instincts. From the start, it was 'don't think', 'react', 'trust your instincts'. Thinking was never really a part of the fight. And I kept thinking anyway. So you brought me here to fight, first against so many hollows that only my instincts would keep me alive. Then you pitted me against Grimmjow." Ichigo closed his eyes, letting out a deep breath. "I should've beat him on the first day. Hell, when he wasn't even using his sword, I should've been able to decapitate him and gotten everything over with, but I couldn't.

"There was nothing behind my swords." Almost without realizing it, Ichigo brought his hands to the hilts of his swords. "Every attack was without any real drive or purpose. Yeah, I wanted to fight Grimmjow, but only because you told me to, and because he would've killed me if I hadn't."

**"Survival ain't a bad reason ta fight," **Zangetsu pointed out, though he grinned even more when Ichigo shook his head.

"I'm not saying it isn't. In desperate situations, it's the best reason. But it shouldn't be the only motivation. Any fighter needs something else. Grimmjow . . . I don't know exactly what he's fighting for, but he's gone through a lot to get here. I could feel it in his sword. He has a reason for what his actions. A reason that I was lacking."

**"Was?"**

"Yeah. You kept trying to get it through my head—mostly by doing whatever the hell you did in my brain. We're going to talk about that later, by the way. I don't like having my head messed with."

Zangetsu was entirely unconcerned with Ichigo's threatening tone.** "Noted." **

"But I get it now. You were trying to show me my deepest motivations to fight." Ichigo grinned crookedly. "I have to admit, you have a stupid way of doing it, but it works. Fighting to protect people—" here Ichigo hesitated, if only briefly—"isn't a good enough motivation in some fights. Against the hollows, I wasn't protecting anyone but myself, and only my power alone gave me an edge. Against Grimmjow, my power wasn't able to compensate, so I lost."

**"So," **Zangetsu drawled, one eyebrow creeping up, **"King. What is your reason? Don't leave me hangin'."**

Ichigo's grin widened as a wild light danced in his amber eyes. "I don't need one. A fight is a fight and I might as well enjoy it!"

Zangetsu laughed. **"Now that's a mindset I can appreciate! But know this—your desire ta protect and your desire ta get stronger will often be stronger than that instinctual will ta fight. Never forget your humanity, King!"**

* * *

_A/N Grimmjow's a fun guy to write. _

_Reviews:_

_Heavenly God: I'm pretty sure this chapter answered that question._

_Akayuki Novak: You're correct. Zangetsu made sure that Ichigo was training far away from Las Noches and where the super powerful hollows were._

_Until next time,_

_-RoR_

**_Please review._**


	17. Chapter 17

_Well, I survived another year of high school. To celebrate, here's the next chapter of this story, since you guys have waited long enough. Hopefully, I can get more of a chapter buffer over the summer so I don't have to go on hiatus. Wouldn't that be great?_

* * *

Part 17

**"Well, shit."**

"This . . . isn't good."

**"Shoulda seen this coming."**

"Yeah."

**"We coulda planned this better."**

"Probably. You think Kisuke's gonna be mad?"

**"Definitely."**

"Could we get away before he notices?"

**"Probably not."**

"Should we try anyway?"

Zangetsu and Ichigo glanced around, noting the extensive damage to Kisuke's underground training area. Dust swirled in the air, doing little to hide the massive craters in the ground and the partially destroyed ceiling and mostly destroyed walls. Both swallowed, looking equally nervous. Maybe practicing Getsuga Jūjishō in shikai with the mask on in an enclosed space had been a bad idea.

**"I think we should."**

They turned to leave, Zangetsu a second from returning to Ichigo's inner world, only to freeze at the sound of a cane tapping against rock.

**"Shit," **Zangetsu cursed. **"You're on your own, King!"**

"Hell no!" Ichigo snapped, grabbing Zangetsu's shoulder and scowling fiercely. "You're staying out here! This was _your_ idea!"

**"You're the one that did it!"**

The sound of wooden sandals slowly grew louder and both boys froze, a rising fear visible in their eyes. Zangetsu tried once again to return to Ichigo's inner world only for Ichigo to force him out.

**"Oi!"**

"Stop being a wimp!"

**"I'm not bein' a wimp! I'm bein' smart!"**

"My, my," Kisuke Urahara drawled calmly as he approached the two, his expression unreadable and his eyes shadowed. "If you were really being smart, you wouldn't have practiced your most powerful attack in my rather destructible training basement, don't you think?"

Zangetsu swallowed. **"I admit, it wasn't my greatest idea—"**

"Not at all," Kisuke agreed, his tone eerily cheery. "So, as punishment, you can clean it up!"

The Zanpakutō spirit sputtered but Ichigo was the first to get his act together. He began to walk away, his eyes darting between Kisuke and the ladder, only to go still when Kisuke pointed his cane—which contained the decidedly _lethal_ Benihime—at him.

"And where do you think you're going, Ichigo?" Kisuke asked mildly, tipping his hat up and revealing his eyes. They swirled with a dangerous mixture of mirth and thinly veiled irritation. "I hope you're not planning on leaving the cleanup to your Zanpakutō."

"Ah, well, I was—"

"About to go get the cleaning supplies from upstairs?" Kisuke finished, his grin widening. "How kind of you! But I can handle that. Make sure to talk to Tessai if you need any extra boulders. We have a supply ready for just such an occasion."

Zangetsu opened his mouth to ask where they stored those boulders (and where the hell Kisuke got them from), but Kisuke had already turned around, waving over his shoulder. "Good luck! By the way, I'm not paying you, and you've got eight hours to get everything fixed!"

As Kisuke took his leave, Ichigo and Zangetsu glared at each other.

"This is your fault!"

**"The hell? It's yours!"**

"No, yours!"

**"Yours!"**

"Yours!"

**"Yours!"**

Kisuke stuck his head out of the ceiling, using one hand to keep his hat from falling. "By the way, if you destroy anything else while, let's say, arguing, you'll have to pay for everything. If you can't, you'll have to work out the debt in the shop! It should only take about ten years' worth of work!"

Both substitute Shinigami and Zanpakutō blanched at the thought of working for Kisuke for so long and immediately stopped glaring at each other.

"Good luck!" Kisuke finished, waving once more, dropping his hat in the process, and then almost failing to grab it before it fell out of reach. He gave a sheepish grin before disappearing up the opening. A moment later, a crate of cleaning supplies dropped from the ceiling, which Zangetsu barely caught in time to prevent it from breaking all over the floor.

Ichigo followed and caught the next crate, only to get knocked to the dirt by a third. Luckily, there wasn't a fourth, but Zangetsu could tell from Ichigo's ominously dark scowl (and the incredible amount of irritation he could feel) that the kid was _this_ close to snapping.

From the faint sound of snickering coming from upstairs, Zangetsu could tell that Kisuke knew exactly what he was doing.

Asshole.

"Let's get this over with," Ichigo muttered, picking up the box. He shot a glare up at the roof. "I wouldn't want to _inconvenience_ anyone!"

Kisuke's voice drifted down. "It was your fault in the first place!"

Ichigo opened his mouth to respond, one eyebrow twitching in annoyance, only to stop when he apparently realized that there was nothing he could say. It _was_ his fault (Zangetsu was happy to place the blame on him), after all. Instead, Ichigo scoffed and turned, hefting his box of cleaning supplies and glancing at Zangetsu.

"We each take half."

Zangetsu grinned. **"And what made ya think that I was actually gonna help ya? You may've stopped me from goin back to your inner world but ya can't force me ta do anything out here."**

"I'm the king," Ichigo stated flatly. "You're the horse. You said it yourself. Work."

**"Tch. Fine."**

With an exchanged petulant glare, Ichigo and Zangetsu split, with each going to the opposite side of Kisuke's training basement. Given the area's impressive size, it took them some time to get to their respective walls.

Ichigo, for his part, set about cleaning with methodical efficiency.

Zangetsu knew this because he was most certainly _not_ cleaning and had opted to watch Ichigo from a Reishi-constructed perch near the ceiling. Hopefully, the Zanpakutō mused, the white painted clouds would somewhat hide him from the substitute Shinigami's sight. If not, well, there wasn't a lot Ichigo could do without risking damaging the area further. And, as Kisuke had been so kind to point out, then there really _would_ be a problem.

Then again, Kisuke still owed Zangetsu for all that trouble a few years back. Zangetsu was still somewhat resentful of all the questions he'd asked (and the way Kisuke had asked them; he may be a hollow, but he deserved some respect, dammit!).

Now, he could _probably_ get Ichigo off the hook too if he pulled out a few more cards, but Zangetsu had never been one for pointless kindness. Ichigo could curse his way through this on his own. And if Zangetsu offered next to no help, well, that was understandable. He was only a Zanpakutō spirit, after all.

He smirked at the idea. No one ever said Zanpakutō spirits _couldn't_ be as independent as he tended to be at times.

_Free-spirited_, Zangetsu amended, smirking wider.

"I know you're up there."

Zangetsu's concentration broke and he fell for a second before he recovered and solidified the Reishi beneath him. Sputtering in surprise, he looked at Ichigo, who was glaring at him so intensely that Zangetsu felt a bead of sweat slip down the back of his neck. Ichigo abruptly sighed, the intensity fading from his expression as he scratched his head and then dropped his hand to his side.

**"I have no idea what you're hinting at,"** Zangetsu said stiffly.

"Really," Ichigo drawled.

Zangetsu was adamant. **"No. Idea."**

Ichigo rolled his eyes and seemed to let his frustration go. "Whatever. If you're not going to help, at least stay out of the way."

**"What, you're not gonna protest?"**

Ichigo snorted. "And what would that do? You're not going to change your lazy-as-all-hell attitude no matter what I say."

**"That hurts. You wound me."**

"Cry me a river. Now stop distracting me."

**"I ain't distractin' ya!"**

"Oh, _really_? Then what, exactly, do you call whatever you're doing?"

**"Providin' moral support."**

"Definitely not. You're being annoying."

**"I am _not_ annoyin'!"**

"Yes, yes you are."

Zangetsu gaped for a solid minute, thrown by Ichigo's confidence and incredible audacity. Once the Zanpakutō spirit pulled himself together, he drifted lower to the ground and oh-so-casually picked up a small, broken-off stone. He tossed it up and down, eyeing Ichigo, before cocking his arm back and letting it fly.

Right before the rock made contact with the back of Ichigo's skull, Ichigo tilted his head to one side just enough to avoid getting hit. It could have been a coincidence; after all, he was sweeping rock shards into a pile and moving. Then again, he could have been paying more attention than Zangetsu gave him credit for.

What irked the hollow was that Ichigo was now ignoring him. Zangetsu _hated_ being ignored. It was boring and irritating and just plain sucked. He'd tried throwing more rocks but Ichigo just dodged them or pretended like he didn't notice them. The bastard was remarkably talented at keeping his poker face—which was, and always had been, a scowl. Zangetsu idly wondered whether it was possible for Ichigo's face to freeze like that.

He probably wouldn't even care if it did.

**"Booooooored," **the hollow groaned, lying flat on the ground and staring up at the ceiling. **"Sooooo booooored."**

Ichigo gave no response and Zangetsu's automatic grin momentarily dimmed. It had been almost an hour and a half and though Ichigo had made impressive progress—especially after switching into his Shinigami form—the entire situation was still (in Zangetsu's words) boring as fuck.

Seriously. Why did nothing _happen_?

Almost immediately, Zangetsu rescinded that thought. He knew better than to think anything of the sort. Nothing good ever came from it. Ever.

But he wasn't fast enough. All he had time to register was Kisuke's voice (_guest_? The hell did that mean?) before a figure jumped down into the training area, fast enough that Zangetsu didn't fully register it at first.

Instincts blaring in warning, Zangetsu leaped back by Ichigo, who still wasn't letting the hollow back into his inner world, the little prick. The substitute Shinigami was aware of the new arrival as well and he had one hand on his cleaver while he eyed the newcomer. After a second, however, Ichigo relaxed.

"Shinji," he greeted cordially, though his scowl never wavered. "Why are you here?"

The leader of the Visored merely continued grinning that damnably amicable smile of his. "Well now, Ichigo. I come here expecting a nice chat with Kisuke, only for him to direct me down here to meet with his resident freeloader."

Ichigo's eyebrow twitched at the insult. "I'm not a—"

"So imagine my surprise," Shinji continued, ignoring Ichigo's irritated glare at being ignored, "when I come down here and see you casually cleaning while the hollow you supposedly beat down and locked away stares at the sky behind you."

_Oh, shit_. Zangetsu glanced at Ichigo and saw the saw the same oh-shit-we-fucked-up expression on his face. "H-hey, Shinji," Ichigo tried, "it's not what it looks like—"

**"it's exactly what it looks like," **Zangetsu supplied, now interested in seeing just how deeply he could dig this hole. Judging from Ichigo's rapidly paling skin, his efforts were going well.

"Shut up," Ichigo hissed. Zangetsu pretended he didn't hear and kept grinning.

Shinji raised an eyebrow. "What I'm trying to figure out _is_ what this looks like. Because you—" he pointed at Zangetsu—"shouldn't be here, much less _defending _Ichigo." At Ichigo's look of confusion, Shinji elaborated. "When I came down here, your inner hollow over there snapped to attention and immediately went to cover your back. Not exactly the behavior I was expecting."

**"Life can be full of surprises,"** Zangetsu said, managing to keep an entirely straight face. He received a kick to the shin for his efforts, courtesy of Ichigo. While Zangetsu cursed him out, Ichigo stepped forward to draw Shinji's attention back to him.

"Look, I'll explain if you take your hand off your Zanpakutō."

Shinji grinned, not at all sheepish as he tightened his grip on the hilt of his sealed blade. "Now, you'll have to pardon my refusal to do that. You're not exactly in the trustworthy zone right now, Ichigo, even if you are a Visored." Shinji's eyes narrowed. "Though I'm curious about that part as well. You're not the same as us."

Us. Zangetsu cracked his neck, absently recalling the faces of the Visored in their final moments.

Blood. Lots of blood.

He abandoned the memories and refocused on what Ichigo was saying.

"I _am_ a Visored," Ichigo growled. "You think I would lie about something like that? Dammit, Shinji, just _listen_ before you start jumping to conclusions! And don't even try to protest—I can see it in your eyes. Yes, Zangetsu is a hollow, yes he's my Zanpakutō, no he's not 'locked up' or whatever the hell you call it, no he's not dangerous, and Zangetsu would you _please_ sheathe your sword before I cut off your damn arm?"

Zangetsu blinked, complying before he even realized what he was doing. Apparently, Ichigo's patience had been a lot more frayed than Zangetsu originally thought. Who knew what could have happened had Zangetsu continued to needle at Ichigo if Shinji hadn't shown up. There probably would've been a fight.

And then Kisuke would've made them pay for everything.

Suddenly, Zangetsu was feeling a lot happier that the blond had shown up.

Shinji's calculating gaze went from Ichigo to Zangetsu and then back again. After a minute, he let out a sigh and then grinned, running his free hand through his hair. "Well, now. I hope you're about to explain what the hell is going on, Ichigo, or I'm going to be . . . _disappointed_."

"Cut with the dramatics, you baby."

"Wh—what? I'm not a—" Shinji cut himself off at the sound of Zangetsu's snickering and instead leveled the hollow with his best glare. "Why don't _you_ shut up?"

**"Don't think I will, actually."**

Ichigo drew one hand over his face and let out a deep breath. "Zangetsu, go back to my inner world. You're not helping anything."

**"Oh, you're finally letting me go back?"**

"Shut up."

And just like that, Zangetsu found himself staring at skyscrapers, sky, and a _very_ disappointed Quincy spirit. All he could do was grin sheepishly.

**"Uh . . . my bad?"**

He spent the rest of the day dodging arrows, which made it incredibly difficult to listen in on the discussion (argument? Conversation?) between Shinji and Ichigo. He did, however, manage to get the gist of it after the fact.

Ichigo came to his inner world that night, after the he finished cleaning Kisuke's basement and explaining his rather unique soul situation to a very interested Shinji. On the bright side, Ichigo hadn't been stabbed by the enigmatic blond, but Shinji had warned the teen that any more secrets would put Ichigo on very thin ice indeed.

There was also something about "regular visits" to the Visored warehouse for training, though training for what, Zangetsu didn't entirely understand.

Currently, the weather in Ichigo's inner world was pretty good. It still rained some nights, but Zangetsu—both spirits, actually—had gotten somewhat used to the weather and were taking turns shielding the other from the rain. Zangetsu found it to be a great time to practice what few Kidō spells Ichigo had learned during the war—he found that Bakudō was particularly handy for blocking rain—while his Quincy counterpart used it as an opportunity to practice various Quincy techniques.

Zangetsu had seen him shoot thousands of goddamn _raindrops_ at once, displaying a disturbing amount of accuracy. Thought the hollow knew Ichigo would probably never have that level of skill, the fact that he had the _potential_ for it was scary. At least the Quincy's practice time gave Zangetsu even more insight as to exactly how strong Ichigo's Quincy abilities were.

His memories were interrupted when Ichigo cleared his throat.

"Look," Ichigo said, trying to explain it to Zangetsu for the umpteenth time, "Shinji wants to see just how strong I am and if I can learn any unique hollow powers."

Zangetsu rolled his eyes. **"You've got a few ta learn, but nothin' he needs ta know about yet."**

"Yet?"

**"Not important. Anyway, it's a waste of time. I've been trainin' ya."**

"Trying to kill me, more like."

**"I haven't heard ya complainin'."**

"Because most of the time, when you're done I can't _speak_!"

**"Now _that's _an exaggeration and you know it. Stop being such a crybaby."**

"Crybaby? Are you—actually, whatever. Don't care."

**"Really?" **Zangetsu prodded, grinning and leaning closer. He could see Ichigo's eyebrow twitching easily. It was a dead giveaway of how annoyed he actually was. Deciding to cut his (apparently stressed-out) king some slack, Zangetsu backed off. **"Fine. There's somethin' I was thinkin' about, anyway."**

Ichigo scowled. "What?"

**"Well, your friends need ta get stronger too, don't they? Just in case somethin' happens when you're not here."**

Ichigo's eyes narrowed. "They can just get on with their lives. They don't need to get involved in all of this."

**"Nice try, King, but life has a way of screwin' ya over. Plus, you've got your promise with Chad. Ya think he's gonna let that one go so easily? Especially after you and your merry band o' criminals crashed the afterlife."**

"They were being dumbasses," Ichigo muttered, though he didn't seem to fully mean the insult, "but I see your point." His gaze darkened. "Even if I don't like it. I doubt Orihime's going to like the idea of fighting. She—she's a pacifist. I don't like the idea of her fighting or being in danger, you know?"

**"'Course I do. She can learn defensive shit. Hacchi can help her or somethin'; seems like his area, anyway."**

Ichigo made a thoughtful noise. "All right, fine. I'll let Shinji know tomorrow. He probably won't kill me."

**"I would worry more about Hiyori; I doubt her and Orihime'll get along very well. Or Uryū. Maybe Chad, 'cause he doesn't speak much."**

"That's gonna be a fun introduction." Ichigo suddenly groaned, rubbing his temples. "I'll worry about that later, okay?"

Zangetsu smirked. **"You're the king, ain'tcha? Don't go askin' me for advice."**

"Oh, sure. Even though you freely provide advice all the time."

**"Ah, shut up."**

"Take your own advice."

**"Why, you—"**

"Well, gotta go!"

**"Hey!" ** But Ichigo was gone from his inner world before Zangetsu could get another word in edgewise. Scoffing, the hollow turned away and crossed his arms. **"Bastard just likes getting the last word in," **he grumbled, though his body language didn't match the fond tone in his voice.

* * *

_A/N This was more a lighthearted chapter. Of course Kisuke has to be his usual troublemaking self. I swear that man needs a therapist (alongside most of the Shinigami)._

_Reviews:_

_Zaralann: Soon._

_Kragh50: Bankai won't be for a while, and I don't think I'll really be exploring Ichigo's Quincy abilities that much. He's primarily a swordsman, not a bowman. I'm kind of waiting for the manga to show his new bankai, but I get the feeling it won't be for a long while yet. *sigh*_

_Harbinger Of Kaos: You have a valid point. However, Ichigo has not been spending very much time around members of the Gotei Thirteen lately, though that will come up later. As for the hollow's name, he's Zangetsu, as is the Quincy spirit. They're both Ichigo's Zanpakutō spirits._

_Crimson Homura: At this point I think I'll graduate before they reveal Ichigo's new bankai._

_Alina Wolve: Uh . . . thanks? I love me too, I guess._

_BrokenLifeCycle: Ulquiorra isn't for a while yet._

_chibissima: Yeah, it's an odd line for a hollow, but Zangetsu is Ichigo's __Zanpakutō and he wants Ichigo to be (if not happy) powerful, and if Ichigo loses his humanity he loses his ability to grow and change, and his growth will stagnate._

_Lotsa reviews. Gotta love it. I don't know when the next chapter will be out, but I shouldn't be _too_ long. I hope._

_-RoR_

**_Please review._**


	18. Chapter 18

_Oh? You were expecting a big Ichigo/Zangetsu vs. the Visored showdown? That's . . . unfortunate. Before you rant, do try to remember that this story is about Ichigo and Zangetsu. Not Ichigo, Zangetsu, and everyone else. Mostly. _

* * *

Part 18

Zangetsu wasn't sure when it happened. He'd been busy, after all; busy helping his Quincy counterpart practice some techniques that Ichigo would probably find useful in the future, busy trying not to get his face burned off by arrows, busy trying not to get skewered, and busy with other equally fun activities. Blut Vene and Blut Arterie were coming along nicely (according to the old guy, at least; Zangetsu didn't know much of anything about Quincy powers), and the Quincy spirit had apparently been working on Ichigo's latent Reishi manipulation abilities. Apparently, that was supposed to make Ichigo's Shunpo faster. In truth, Zangetsu didn't care.

He simply got to fight the Quincy spirit, and that was an entirely new exercise in how to avoid getting skewered on the end of a Reishi sword (it looked like the trench blade Ichigo had), or caught in an elaborate trap. In short, the battles required thinking ahead, and Zangetsu was fine with practicing that. He didn't need to do nearly as much of it when he fought Ichigo.

So the Zanpakutō spirit had been a little preoccupied when he felt it. A small . . . intrusion. Poking. Prodding.

And then invading.

Scowling, Zangetsu stopped in his tracks, noting absently that his Quincy counterpart had done the same. The hollow let out a pained grunt at a sudden burst of fire from his abdomen and automatically put a hand there, half-snarling in irritation at a wound he couldn't see. The Old Man was doing the same, his normally unreadable expression drawn into a grimace. The pain faded after a second, but it still echoed throughout the inner world.

Neither spirit looked particularly happy as they dropped to the surface of the nearest skyscraper. Ichigo was there, but Zangetsu could tell immediately that the teen was out of action.

**"Right when things were gettin' good, too," **he grumbled, walking up to Ichigo and kneeling next to him, carefully checking his pulse. **"Just what the hell's up with this, King? I'm in the middle of somethin' here." **

Ichigo gave no response, though he was clearly alive. It was odd to see him so silent. In fact, his entire inner world seemed abnormally quiet. Frowning, Zangetsu looked around, noting that the Quincy spirit was nowhere in sight.

**"The hell?"** He muttered, standing straight. Something was twisting his gut, warning him that something wasn't right. **"Just what's goin' on here?"**

He turned to talk to Ichigo again, but his king was gone too. His blackout had been only temporary, then, but that didn't make Zangetsu feel any better. What had caused it? And why had he felt that pain earlier? Was Ichigo fighting, and, if so, who was the opponent?

**"Why doesn't anyone ever tell me shit?"** Zangetsu groused, one hand automatically gravitating towards the hilt of the sword on his back. His instincts were telling him to draw it, but from what he could tell there was no one in the immediate area. Still, he remained standing there, guard up and eyes wide open.

More pain exploded across Zangetsu's front and he grunted, taking a step back out of instinct. The same feeling of wrongness Zangetsu had felt earlier intensified and he twitched, opening his mouth to talk to Ichigo, only to hiss instead as another attack connected with Ichigo and the pain reached Zangetsu.

He supposed he should be happy that Ichigo had gotten Hierro. No doubt his injuries could be worse. But—

Zangetsu blinked. His vision was oddly bright; too bright. Too clear. He felt the strange urge to smile and fought it off, actually shaking his head to clear his thoughts. He blinked at the blade in his hands, unsure as to when he had drawn it. There was something missing, he realized. A counterpoint was gone.

There was no balance.

Sudden, complete, and painful understanding rushed through Zangetsu and he hastily cast a seal, but his consciousness was fading and he couldn't check to make sure that the seal would hold.

Strange warmth rushed through Zangetsu and he felt himself get pulled under.

* * *

Fire like a thousand suns burned through Zangetsu and he forced his eyes open, gasping and resisting the urge to retch while his senses reeled. He was back on the skyscraper, still in Ichigo's inner world, but at some point he had ended up on his hands and knees.

He squeezed his eyes shut, drawing in a deep breath in an attempt to ignore the way the world still seemed to be spinning. His mouth tasted gritty.

Nevertheless, Zangetsu opened his eyes again, ignoring the headache pounding away behind his eyes, and slowly got to his feet. He only staggered once and did a quick physical inventory, coming to the conclusion that he felt like shit and that he would just have to wait until he stopped feeling like shit, however long it took.

A groan caught his attention and Zangetsu glanced back, seeing Ichigo passed out on the skyscraper much as he had been what felt like minutes ago.

**"The fuck?"** Zangetsu muttered, walking over to the unconscious teen, only to pause when Ichigo got up on his own.

"Back here again?" Ichigo muttered, looking around. His gaze quickly fell on Zangetsu and, much to the Zanpakutō's confusion, filled with relief. "Good, you're still here. But—where's the Old Man?"

**"Hell if I know. He just left. Thought you would know."**

Ichigo frowned. "So all that crap about him leaving my body—that was true?"

"Exactly."

Both Zanpakutō and wielder turned at the new voice, expressions already hostile.

"What?" Ichigo said, his eyes widening. "But how—"

**"Who the fuck are you?"** Zangetsu interrupted. He felt like he recognized the stranger standing before him. The white clothes, the arrogant expression, the ridiculous fingernails—

"I am the Zanpakutō Muramasa."

Muramasa. That was it. Zangetsu scowled. He didn't really like the other Zanpakutō; he was too manipulative. He wasn't even weak—he put up more of a fight than Ichigo had in the beginning, but he was too busy trying to pin Zangetsu down for a reason Zangetsu had never actually bothered to learn.

"Hold on," Ichigo said, looking confused. "This is all supposed to be inside my mind, so how the hell can you be here?"

Muramasa smirked. It seemed to be his default expression. "Did you forget that I am a Zanpakutō? If I wish, I can use my abilities as a Zanpakutō to enter the mind of a Shinigami at any time with no effort at all."

Ichigo stepped forward and Zangetsu let him; the hollow wasn't entirely sure what was going on here, and was a little bit frustrated. He remembered this happening the first time around, of course, but he hadn't really been paying attention to the details at the time. Hadn't really cared, actually.

"What are you planning?" Ichigo demanded. "What's your wielder thinking? Why's he put you up to this?"

"My wielder?" Muramasa repeated, smirking even more. "He's gone. I've eliminated him."

"You killed him? But how?"

**"Well,"** Zangetsu drawled, **"probably by stabbing him. You know, since he's a sword and all."**

Muramasa looked startled at Zangetsu's words, as though he hadn't expected Zangetsu to say anything at all. The hollow offered the other Zanpakutō a sardonic smile. It wasn't a nice expression.

**"Got a problem?"**

"Is this the source of that odd power you demonstrated in our earlier battle, Ichigo Kurosaki?"

Ichigo scowled. "I don't—"

**"Hold on," **Zangetsu snapped, **"battle? What battle?"**

"Not important," Ichigo said tightly. "Kind of hollowfied. Not a problem; it was handled."

**"What the fuck? Why'd you hollowfy?"**

Vague memories swam through Zangetsu's mind—a hasty seal, a strange dark tide—but he quickly determined that they wouldn't help him now.

"Should I just consult the manual for these things? Shouldn't _you_ know? Actually, don't. I bet the other Zangetsu would know."

**"That's it!"**

"Eh?"

**"If this jackass is really Muramasa and he can do the whole liberate-but-actually-brainwash-Zanpakutō-spirits thing, then the sudden removal of the Old Man would throw your balance of power ta shit. That's what happened!"**

Ichigo blinked. "Right. Anyway, we should probably focus on the guy standing right there."

"No, do take your time," Muramasa suggested, his expression making it impossible to tell whether he was being sarcastic or not. "It only delays the inevitable."

"And what's the 'inevitable'?" Ichigo asked. "Because if you think you can actually challenge me, you're dead wrong."

"No, Ichigo Kurosaki, it is you that is wrong. Your power is not even close to mine. I simply wish to know where that power that changes you so comes from. It seems, however, that it—"

"I'm not going to answer to someone like you," Ichigo interrupted, drawing the blade from his back but, strangely, leaving the other one sheathed.

"This is not something you have a choice in. Simply tell me."

"And if I refuse?"

"You die."

Zangetsu snorted. **"Fuckin' melodrama. Should I leave you two alone? Or get ya a room? 'Cause you're makin' me sick."**

"Shut up," Ichigo spat. "Can you try to take this seriously?"

**"Hell no. Are ya gonna fight the guy or not?"**

"Tch. Do you even need to ask?"

Without further preamble Ichigo turned to the interloper and charged forward, blade raised in preparation to strike—

Except he never made contact. Zangetsu automatically stepped forward, Ichigo's name on his lips when the orange-haired teen suddenly collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. Zangetsu felt the echoes of disbelief shoot through him. Ichigo was strong; he knew that. So why had the kid just fallen?

**"Bastard," **Zangetsu snarled, unsheathing his own sword and taking a threatening step forward. **"What the hell did ya just do?"**

Muramasa was irritatingly unconcerned with Zangetsu's anger. "Interesting. A glimpse into the inner world of a Shinigami, and the other Ichigo Kurosaki that was lurking within it—exuding the Reiatsu of a hollow. Just what are you?"

**"Instinct. Drive. Everythin' Ichigo doesn't want ta admit; his true self. Take your fuckin' pick and get the hell out of here."**

"Interesting." He was still smirking. Zangetsu fought the losing battle against his desire to cut the Zanpakutō spirit to pieces. "If you are what you say you are, then the power Ichigo Kurosaki demonstrated when we fought was the same as a hollow's. It makes sense now; _you_ are the source of that power."

**"Give the man a medal,"** Zangetsu said. Then he straightened, his scowl dropping away in favor of a smile as a familiar battle-lust began to flood his system. **"But now it's time for me to ask you some questions. Why the hell are you here?"**

"I am here to free all of the Zanpakutō. Zanpakutō respond to my voice, and I possess the power to awaken their true instincts."

Zangetsu kept his smirk plastered firmly on his face and merely raised his sword in challenge.

"Now I see," Muramasa continued. "If you possess the power of a hollow, and are Ichigo Kurosaki's true instinct, it all works out. I can use my ability to liberate the instinct living within you."

Zangetsu smirked wider. Clearly, the Zanpakutō spirit standing before him didn't understand that hollows _were_ instinct. There was nothing to "liberate".

Muramasa raised his hand, casually spreading out his fingers. An odd pulse of air burst from his palm and Zangetsu felt a strange feeling sweep through him, almost like hands reaching inside him. They were searching for something, Zangetsu could tell that much, but there was nothing for them to find. Muramasa was walking forward, his heels clicking against the surface of the skyscraper, and Zangetsu decided to let him; if the idiot wanted to get in close quarters, Zangetsu saw no reason to stop him. It would make gutting him all the easier.

When Muramasa got too close, Zangetsu finally moved, letting out a deranged laugh and launching himself at Muramasa with blinding speed. He had a moment's satisfaction from seeing Muramasa's smug expression melt to one of surprise, and then their blades were crashing against each other.

Zangetsu had to give Muramasa a little respect, as much as he didn't want to. The Zanpakutō spirit clearly knew how to fight, though his defense was rapidly crumbling in the face of Zangetsu's strong and swift attacks. The hollow didn't give an inch and wielded his single blade with deadly efficiency. He would have drawn the other one, but the blade didn't feel right even when sheathed and there was no way Zangetsu would fight with a sword he didn't trust.

He forced Muramasa back with a strong slash from the right and then threw the blade, keeping a grip on the cloth attached to the hilt. He jumped into the air to avoid a counterattack from Muramasa and yanked back on the cloth while simultaneously lashing out with a kick. Muramasa dodged the sword but the kick sent him skidding back, off-balance and distracted.

Zangetsu quickly used Sonido to get behind Muramasa and spun his blade in the air. The invading spirit only had time to realize the danger before Zangetsu brought the sword down, creating a small crater in the skyscraper and sending Muramasa flying. He crashed onto the surface of a nearby skyscraper, disappearing in a cloud of dust.

Zangetsu felt a pang of disappointment. Really, he expected more. **"Come on out, Zanpakutō!"** He called, resting his sword over one shoulder. **"I know there's more to you than that!"**

Muramasa soon rose from the dissipating smoke, his smirk gone. "Impressive. I did not anticipate that you would be so capable. It's true; you _are_ a hollow." He tilted his head slightly. "Thanks to Zangetsu being released from Ichigo Kurosaki, you were left to run free inside of him. If you're his inner hollow, that helps explain the strange transformation Ichigo went through at that time. Am I right?"

Personally, Zangetsu didn't think that the reason was as simple as that. There was a balance in Ichigo's soul, a strange equilibrium that existed between his human, hollow, Shinigami, and Quincy pieces, and the Quincy spirit's sudden removal had upset that balance. But Muramasa didn't need to know that, so Zangetsu put on his most mocking grin instead. **"And so what if you are?"**

Muramasa was still smiling back. "I only have one more thing to say. Now that I know the secret behind your tricks, it's clear to me that I do not need to waste anymore time." He jumped back to the skyscraper Zangetsu stood upon and the hollow tensed minutely, expecting an attack. He was a little surprised when none came.

"Zanpakutō and Shinigami come together through communication and synergy. Now, however, I see that there are exceptions to this, like you. Some forces must remain suppressed. You are a very interesting subject."

Zangetsu frowned. **"Hey. I let you speak your mind and you go puttin' me down like that?" **He pointed at Ichigo, who had apparently regained consciousness at some point during the confrontation. Zangetsu took that as a good sign, though he was curious as to why his king wasn't doing anything besides staring. **"Did you just say that he's been keeping me suppressed?"**

"Am I wrong?"

Zangetsu smirked, lowering his hand. **"Oh yeah. Dead wrong."**

"Then explain it to me."

**"Now why should I do that for you? Besides, what's got you so interested in Ichigo? You're sure curious about us both. So what's your game here?"**

"You'll know in time."

Zangetsu scoffed. **"Oh yeah? Fine. Honestly, I don't care what you're plannin', but there's one thing you should know, so listen up: you won't get your way, not with me here."**

"I see," Muramasa said slowly. "So you're saying you intend to stand in my way." He brought up his sword. "Then I have no choice but to wipe you out from this existence."

That nagging feeling of wrongness was really starting to get on Zangetsu's nerves. He knew he was supposed to be remembering something, but he couldn't quite grasp what it was. The feeling was getting to be annoying, that much he knew for certain.

The two Zanpakutō spirits clashed once more, but this time it was clear that Muramasa was outmatched from the start. He quickly put distance between himself and Zangetsu, his expression still remarkably calm.

**"What's the matter?"** Zangetsu taunted, grinning. **"That all you got?"**

Muramasa tried to catch the hollow unawares with Flash Step but Zangetsu just leaped out of the way, using his sword as a kind of flail and then getting up close and personal, lashing out with a series of attacks that had Muramasa solely on the defensive until a final strike sent the spirit sliding back. Zangetsu grinned wider.

**"You know, with you fightin' that slow your chances of beatin' me aren't that good."**

"Yes, I'm aware," Muramasa said, straightening. He brought up his sword and then, strangely, opened his hand and let the blade vanish in a flash of purple light. "But not concerned."

He held out his now empty hand and Zangetsu's eyes widened. He recalled how Ichigo had dropped like a stone the last time and the hollow jumped back, sensing danger.

**"Not sure what you have up your sleeve, but—ngh!" **He jerked to a stop in mid-air, a strange pressure from all sides holding him in place. It felt like a thousand hands holding him down, and though he struggled he couldn't shake them. **"What's this?" **

At a gesture from Muramasa, Zangetsu fell to the surface of the skyscraper, creating a small crater and debris on impact. He still managed to struggle into a kneeling position, though he knew in the back of his mind that Muramasa was letting him do that. Still, he grit his teeth, muscles straining against whatever was holding him down. His power meant nothing now; whatever this was, it wasn't normal; it didn't matter how strong Zangetsu was, he couldn't do more than twitch. **"Can't—can't move!"**

"What's the matter?" Muramasa asked calmly as he walked towards Zangetsu. "That all you got?"

**"Damn you—shut up!" **Zangetsu cried, his frustration boiling over. His eyes fixed on the sword that Muramasa called to his hand, his own sword impossibly out of reach despite being right next to him.

He felt a strange kind of helplessness, one he didn't remember feeling before, except for when _he was in the same damn situation_. Zangetsu cursed up a storm in his head, remembering how this had happened the _last_ time he'd fought Muramasa and he'd been too interested in the prospect of a new person to fight that he'd forgotten about the Zanpakutō spirit's strange ability. Now he was stuck in this stupid situation, unable to even help himself. All he could do was spit insults, and he did that gladly, beginning with exactly what Muramasa could do to himself at his earliest convenience.

Muramasa, however, was unfazed.

"You are nothing but a hollow," Muramasa declared. "You do not possess the power I am seeking. Therefore—" he raised the sword above his head, ready to deliver a killing strike—"you are expendable."

* * *

_A/N Cliffhanger? Oh, yes. The next chapter should be out . . . oh, hell, I dunno . . . within the month. Hopefully._

_Reviews:_

(Side note: I'm reeeaaallly sick right now, so sorry if I'm ruder than usual.)

_Zaralann: I think you're asking why Zangetsu wouldn't let Ichigo learn the full hollow form in the upcoming fight with Ulquiorra. If that's the case, I dunno. Ichigo might end up learning it, he might not._

_Heavenly God: Now._

_Akayuki Novak: Good on you, sir (madam), for noticing that. There is a reason behind Ichigo's skyrocketing stress levels, but that's a story for another chapter._

_Krazyfanfiction1: I don't know enough about the worm-like hollow to really include it in this story. Just assume it appears off-screen, or something._

_Crimson Homura: Yeah . . . I was too lazy to write that. (Writer's block!)_

_10th Squad 3rd Seat: I would say that Shinji's reaction (emotionally) was a mix of dark amusement, wry understanding, betrayal, and grim acknowledgement once it was all said and done. Things worked out, though._

_snickermoon814: I was gonna go on a rant, but you asked nicely, which I appreciate. No, there will be no pairings. I don't write them very well, nor do I find them a particularly productive lane of writing._

_chibissima: Whoops._

_jackalopian: Some people liked the conversation about motives for fighting, some people didn't. It's your opinion. As for the explanations bit that wasn't written last chapter and ignored this chapter, just assume that Ichigo was trying to be as nice and placating as his abrasive personality allows while Zangetsu was just being a dick._

_QueenKarin13: He's certainly getting a lot of practice._

_midorchi: *laughs nervously* What? No, I'm not an angsty writer. *Glances at my other stories* Not . . . not at all._

_pissed dragon: They'd probably just get annoyed with me. I'll wait._

_Wow, lots of questions. That's good. Answering questions is fun._

_-RoR_

**_Please review._**


	19. Chapter 19

_What the hell did I do to deserve this many followers? How do I do it again? _

_Anyway, I finally finished writing my __One Piece story, which is why I'm uploading this chapter. (__This chapter fought me so hard. Took me way too long to write the second half. Way. Too. Long.)_

* * *

Part 19

_"You are nothing but a hollow," Muramasa declared. "You do not possess the power I am seeking. Therefore—" he raised the sword above his head, ready to deliver a killing strike—"you are _expendable_."_

Zangetsu had already run out of his go-to curses in his head so he had started running through the entirety of Muramasa's family tree, making sure to include, in exquisite detail, every unfortunate hamster and rat that had the audacity to produce anything resembling a Zanpakutō spirit.

He knew it didn't make sense, but he didn't care. He settled on channeling that glaring inconsistency into his actual glare, which he had firmly leveled on Muramasa.

If looks could kill, Muramasa would be a steaming puddle on the ground.

The blade came down. Zangetsu snarled.

Blue energy roared through Ichigo's inner world, cutting off Muramasa from Zangetsu and forcing the invading Zanpakutō spirit to leap back. At the same time, air rushed back into Zangetsu's lungs as whatever had been holding him vanished without a trace. He fell to his hands and knees, gasping to get his breath back and hating that he'd been in such a position.

And suddenly Muramasa wasn't there anymore. Instead, Ichigo stood before Zangetsu, blade raised in the ending position of a Getsuga Tenshō attack. His expression was set in a fierce scowl, and a small amount of blood dripped from the end of his sword. Zangetsu looked past Ichigo and saw Muramasa standing a ways away, evidently having been pushed back. A shallow cut ran across his chest and he was flexing his hand, eyeing Ichigo speculatively.

**"Didn't need your help," **Zangetsu growled, getting to his feet and grabbing his sword. Ichigo gave him an irritated look.

"I wasn't going to just let you die. You know that." He glanced back at Muramasa, though his words were still directed at Zangetsu. "I don't need you to be selfish and prove that you can do things on your own. You're my Zanpakutō; we do things together, or not at all."

"What an interesting sight this is," Muramasa commented. "You're choosing to protect the hollow?"

"So what if he's a hollow?" Ichigo retorted. "We're partners, and that's all that matters. Right now, I'm more concerned with stopping you from doing whatever the hell you want."

"Ichigo Kurosaki, just what exactly _are_ you? What you described is hardly the relationship between a Shinigami and a hollow."

Zangetsu snickered. **"That's the thing, ain't it?"**

"You're missing one thing, Muramasa," Ichigo said flatly. "He isn't just a hollow. What I described is the relationship between a Shinigami and a Zanpakutō. Is that really so hard to understand?"

Muramasa's eyes widened, but he had no time to think on Ichigo's words because the teen had charged at him. Zangetsu watched with a feeling of intense satisfaction while Ichigo actually forced Muramasa from his inner world.

**"Oi, King," **Zangetsu called, catching Ichigo's attention before the boy followed Muramasa out, **"make sure ya kick his ass, got it?"**

Ichigo just nodded before he left as well.

* * *

"_Arrows_, Zangetsu! Arrows! What the fuck is with that?"

**"I think you're missin' the point," **Zangetsu said. Then he snickered. **"Heh. Point."**

"I will slice you in half," Ichigo promised. "You're a hollow, not a stand up comedian. Now why was Zangetsu shooting arrows at me when he's a sword spirit? Even Muramasa was confused!"

**"Why dontcha ask him yourself? He's right there."**

Ichigo glanced at the brooding, brown-haired spirit standing on a flagpole a few yards away. He cut quite the striking figure, an effect that was only emphasized by the dark look on his face. "Uh, I don't think he wants to talk right now. He's not exactly happy about what happened. I tried to talk to him earlier but it . . . it wasn't productive."

**"No one would be happy 'bout mind control," **Zangetsu said, frowning. **"Bastard tried ta do it ta me too. Should be happy I'm hollow, 'cause that's why he couldn't do it."**

"Yeah," Ichigo muttered. Then he scowled as he realized what Zangetsu was up to. "You're trying to distract me again!"

**"Look," **Zangetsu said, crossing his arms and scowling just as fiercely, **"it ain't my place nor his place ta say why he was shootin' arrows, got it? It's not. Our. Place."**

Ichigo blinked. "Then who's—"

Zangetsu shook his head, turning slightly away from Ichigo and closing his eyes. **"Not my place ta say that either. It's somethin' ya gotta figure out on your own. I can't help ya."**

"Fine."

Zangetsu cracked an eye open. **"Really? Just 'fine'? Nothin' else?"**

"What else would I say?"

**"I don't know. I was expectin' more . . . theatrics."**

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "And here I thought my Zanpakutō would know me by now."

**"Oi!"**

Ichigo ignored the Zanpakutō spirit immediately in front of him and turned his attention to the one still standing on a flagpole (and still cutting quite the dramatic figure). "Hey, Old Man!" The spirit turned, giving only the barest indication that he was acknowledging Ichigo. Ichigo, however, was unfazed. "Stop moping! I don't care that you were shooting arrows and trying to make me into the world's bloodiest pincushion!"

The Quincy spirit blinked, evidently taken aback, before he inclined his head. "Then I do apologize for giving you the cold shoulder. I was not sure how you would take this new information."

"I honestly don't mind," Ichigo stated with a shrug. Then he amended those words. "Well, I do, but I don't want to force anything." He jerked a thumb at Zangetsu, who was currently picking at his nails out of sheer boredom. "He said that it wasn't your places to tell me or something like that."

The older spirit seemed to relax at that. "Everything is fine, then."

"Awesome," Ichigo said, grinning slightly. "I've never been a fan of angst."

Zangetsu snorted. **"You? Seriously? You an' angst are practically one and the same."**

"Shut up. Are not."

**"Whatever."** Zangetsu flopped onto the surface of the skyscraper, putting his hands behind his head. **"I'm bored."**

"We could spar," Ichigo offered. Zangetsu shook his head, much to Ichigo's evident surprise, if the teen's shocked expression was anything to go by.

**"Nah. Not feelin' it right now. Maybe in a few minutes."**

"Seriously?"

**"Stop givin' me that look. Your question kinda ruined my mood."**

"I'm not apologizing for that."

**"Good. Didn't expect ya to, anyway." **After a few minutes of prolonged silence, during which Ichigo joined his Zanpakutō in lying down on the skyscraper, Zangetsu glanced at his wielder. **"Aren't ya supposed ta be somewhere?"**

"It's the middle of the night," Ichigo replied. He closed his eyes, his chest moving up and down rhythmically with his breathing. "I've got time."

**"Why aren't ya sleepin'?"**

"It's not a big deal," Ichigo replied, opening his eyes again. His gaze was fixed on the clouds scuttling across the sideways sky. There were more of them than usual, but there wasn't any immediate chance of rain. "I was just thinking, and couldn't sleep."

**"Thinkin' about what?"**

"Muramasa."

Zangetsu let out a breath, shutting his eyes again. **"Why? He lost; he's dead. There's no reason ta think about him anymore."**

"He didn't deserve to die," Ichigo said firmly.

**"Kōga was an asshole, I'll give ya that, but Muramasa wasn't innocent. He manipulated the Old Man and hurt a shit ton o' people—not that I care about the second part, but you probably should."**

"That's true," Ichigo admitted, "but that was reversible. He just wanted to be with his wielder again. Can you really fault him for that? I mean, he definitely could've found a better way to do it, but he was desperate."

**"He was dyin'. Plus, he'd eaten so many hollows that he wouldn't've survived even if Kōga hadn't been a complete ass."**

Ichigo made a noise in the back of his throat that could have been agreement or something else entirely. The conversation drifted off and neither Ichigo nor Zangetsu made any effort to bring it back again. Instead, they settled into a comfortable silence, unaware of the events around them.

* * *

**"Why am I out here again?"**

"Because I don't feel like being the middle man between you and Rukia," Ichigo answered. He, Zangetsu, and Rukia were in a small courtyard in the Seireitei, one in which they weren't likely to be overheard. "Plus, you'll probably know more about what Rukia's gonna ask about than I will."

Almost on cue, the petite Shinigami crossed her arms. "Ichigo, I want some answers."

"I know, Rukia, I know." Ichigo awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and then deferred to Zangetsu. "You've got it."

Zangetsu shot Ichigo a look. **"Don't throw this on me! Be responsible!"**

"I'm plenty responsible!"

"If you're so responsible," Rukia said slowly, one of her eyebrows twitching in irritation, "then would you mind paying attention to me instead of squabbling with your Zanpakutō spirit?"

"Sorry."

"Apology accepted. Now, Ichigo, when did you get so strong? It's gotten to the point where others in the Gotei Thirteen are taking notice. I can understand if you had some growth caused by training and dealing with hollows in Karakura Town, but after seeing this . . . well, your growth rate is . . . it's inhuman!"

**"Funny thing—"**

"Don't even start," Ichigo warned. Then he looked at Rukia. "It's . . . it's hard to explain."

**"It's really not."**

"Then you do it!"

"Is it the relationship between you and your Zanpakutō?"

Ichigo gave Rukia a surprised look. "Wow. You . . . guessed that really quickly."

"I fail to see how that was difficult to explain in the slightest," Rukia said, crossing her arms. Ichigo, sensing her rising ire, hastened to come up with an explanation.

"Well, you see, we just . . . uh, you know . . . Spent some time together and . . . um . . . worked things out."

Zangetsu took it upon himself to be as helpful as possible. **"I tried ta kill him—"**

"You _what_?"

**"—a few times."**

Rukia looked like she couldn't decide whether she should be angry or. "Ichigo, you shouldn't be so careless!"

"That's rich, coming from you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing!"

Rukia sighed. "Well, it seems that your power is not ill-gotten. You do realize that other Shinigami are going to be asking about this, right?"

"Yeah, I know. I don't suppose you could help out with that . . .?"

"Not a chance. This is your problem, Ichigo."

Ichigo gave Rukia an imploring look—or as imploring a look as he was capable of. "Could you at least try to deflect some of their attention?"

Rukia blinked, giving Ichigo and Zangetsu a critical look. Then she looked to the heavens, though she didn't seem to be expecting any detailed answers from them any more than she expected them from Ichigo. "Fine, fine. Just this once."

"Thank you, Rukia."

Zangetsu glanced to the side, hearing footsteps. He quickly determined that the person responsible—no, the people responsible—were Renji, Ikkaku, and—

**"Oh, that's gonna be fun," **Zangetsu remarked with a wide grin. Ichigo noticed that look, seemed afraid, and looked where Zangetsu was looking. Instantly, he blanched.

"You know, I think I should head back to Karakura now . . . just to make sure that there's nothing there that needs . . . my attention. Immediately. Bye!"

"Ichigo!"

Zangetsu heaved a sigh. **"His skills of deflection are abysmal."**

Rukia glanced at him, ready to give a response, but the spirit had already returned to Ichigo's inner world. A few seconds later, Kenpachi and his crew thundered past, Zanpakutō already drawn.

* * *

**"Hey, Kisuke."**

"Oh? Who is—Zangetsu! It's been such a long time since you visited little old me!"

The Zanpakutō spirit scoffed but otherwise didn't react to the shopkeeper's blatantly false cheeriness. **"Can I come in?"**

"Sure, sure. May I ask why you're here?"

**"Nothing earth-shattering, if that's what you're worried about," **Zangetsu said, stepping into the shop. He glanced around. **"I don't see those two brats or Tessai."**

"Oh, they're off doing errands," Kisuke replied, leading the way to a small table in the back. "Can I offer you anything?"

**"No, thanks. I don't want ta choke ta death."**

Kisuke gave Zangetsu an odd look. "You're being strangely polite. Usually you insult both me _and_ my cooking skills."

Zangetsu snorted inelegantly. **"My bad. I'll try ta insult you more in the future."**

"Don't strain yourself. Now," Kisuke plopped down across the table from Zangetsu, a serious expression on his face, "what can I do for you, Zangetsu?"

The Zanpakutō spirit gathered his thoughts for a moment before speaking. **"I'll be blunt. Ichigo's strong right now. I'm not worried 'bout him at all, besides mentally."**

Kisuke frowned at that, but didn't interrupt.

**"But his friends—thanks ta what I did—ain't as strong as they should be at this point. There're enemies out there that'll crush them as they are now, and if that happened, Ichigo'd get crushed as well."**

"Are you doing this out of concern for Ichigo's friends, or Ichigo himself?"

Zangetsu shrugged. **"I don't give a damn about Ichigo's friends. My purpose is ta protect that dumbass and make 'im strong. The thing is, he won't get strong if all his friends get hurt and die. Hell, he'd get weak. I don't want that."**

"That's very roundabout reasoning, Zangetsu."

**"Who gives a fuck about my reasoning? Anyway, can you train them? Ya have that giant-ass room downstairs."**

"That is true," Kisuke mused. "I do have that super-cool, super-surprising training basement that is so wonderfully undestroyed at the moment—"

**"Stop givin' me that look."**

"—but I will not train Ichigo's friends if they don't want to be trained. Plus, they may not agree with my methods. I suppose Yoruichi would be willing . . ."

**"I don't care about the specifics. You don't want 'em dead either."**

Kisuke let out a long breath. "That is true. I would hate to see Ms. Inoue and the others hurt. Yoruichi would have my head, anyway."

**"What was that last bit?"**

"Nothing at all. When should I . . . recruit them?"

**"Don't say that. It makes it sound weird."**

"Fine. I'll offer it to them at the earliest convenience. Does Ichigo know about this?" Zangetsu wasn't able to hide the flash of guilt—however brief—on his face. Kisuke raised an eyebrow. "I'll take that as a no. You should tell him sooner rather than later, you know."

**"I'm not stupid. I'll tell him tomorrow. He's usually pretty relaxed about these things."**

"If that's the case, why did you go behind his back to tell me this?"

Zangetsu's mouth twisted into a scowl. **"That idiot cares too much about his friends to drag them into anythin' more than he feels is necessary. Hell, he wouldn't tell them that the world was on fire until they started ta choke on the smoke."**

"Don't you think that's a little harsh?"

**"I can see your smirk. Stop that."**

"I'm not doing anything. Anyway, continue, please."

**"Fine. Ichigo doesn't want ta involve his friends in shit like this 'cause he doesn't want ta seem 'em hurt. The problem is, they get dragged inta crap all the time. If they're not strong enough for the next time, it ain't gonna end well."**

"You sound like you know what's coming. I don't suppose you can tell me what it is?"

**"Not a chance."**

Kisuke pouted. "That's not fair. I'm helping you with this, aren't I?"

**"The thing is, you've got an investment in Ichigo. I've got an investment in Ichigo."** Zangetsu leaned forward, golden eyes glittering. **"I don't know what the fuckin' term is, but it means we're interested in the same things, and it'll make us both for the better if ya help me out here without bein' a prick."**

"Mutual interest."

**"Eh?"**

"The word—er, phrase—you're looking for is 'mutual interest'."

Zangetsu blinked, giving Kisuke a blank look for a full five seconds. **"You know, sometimes I really hate you."**

"I feel the same way!" Kisuke replied. "May I get back to my normal nightly activity, now?"

**"Don't ever call it that again in front of me," **Zangetsu said while standing up.

"Aw. You're no fun."

**"I'm leaving!"**

"Say hello to Ichigo for me!"

**"Like hell!"**

* * *

_A/N I wonder how many of you forgot about Orihime, Chad, and Uryu. Anyway, I'm pretty sure this story is just 60% Zangetsu being a __smartass, 10% Kisuke being a smartass, 10% Ichigo being a smartass, and 20% angst._

_Reviews:_

_general zargon: It's what happened in the anime. It was never really explained then either._

_Zaralann: He does know that Zangetsu is a hollow; I don't think he quite realizes what the Quincy spirit is; it's never really known if he's had any interaction with a Quincy before. Plus, the Quincy spirit acts like a Zanpakutou should._

_BrokenLifeCycle: Ichigo was waiting for the right moment so he could be as dramatic as possible._

_snickermoon814: It's funny; 98.67% of the character development in this story is unplanned and only happens when I reread and edit and realize that, whaddaya know, Zangetsu did/thought/said something new. I'm happy that it seems natural._

_Zivyx: Well then, it's a good thing I didn't kill one of them off. (I couldn't even if I wanted to; they're the snark duo. I can't split them up)_

_hornet07: Well, I do specialize in bullshitting. I aspire to bullshit the rest of this story, as a matter of fact._

_Kurama's Foxy Rose: That's how it worked out, yeah._

_QueenKarin13: Trueeeee._

_Cute Kirby: I do have a lot of other stuff, so hopefully you found at least some of it interesting._

_Writer's block: GO AWAY_

_No clue when the next chapter is gonna be out._

_-RoR_

**_Please review._**


	20. Chapter 20

_This is literally my favorite chapter so far. Probably. Possibly. Maybe. Also, I'm going on hiatus for an undetermined amount of time because of things._

* * *

Part 20

Zangetsu wiped the water off his face for the fifth time that minute and scowled, giving the dark clouds above his most hateful glare. The Quincy spirit wasn't up to shielding this time around so Zangetsu was on his own, and he'd tried to go to ground level and take shelter under a tree or something but it was flooded up to the knee, and the water was too damn cold to be comfortable. There was nowhere he could take cover from the freezing rain that pelted his skin.

So, he sat on a skyscraper and sulked.

And sulked.

And sulked.

Once he determined that sulking wasn't getting him anywhere anymore, Zangetsu resorted to actually thinking about his situation, something he only did in extremely dire circumstances.

Judging from the way his hair was currently nothing more than a wet mop on his head, this qualified.

And Zangetsu thought.

He remembered how Ichigo had been getting more and more irritable lately. The teenager's patience and temper seemed to be equally short, and even Karin and Yuzu had begun questioning Ichigo's health. Isshin had done the same in his own way, but Ichigo had waved him off as he always did. However, there was one person Ichigo would never be able to fool, and that person was currently cursing the fact that the rain wasn't stopping.

The rain. It gave away everything Ichigo was trying to hide; it was coming down in buckets, and the sky had been the same ominous mass of gray-almost-black clouds for hours. If there was a more obvious indicator of Ichigo's mental health, Zangetsu had yet to find it.

At least the skyscrapers were still skyscrapers. Zangetsu would be ready to kick Ichigo's ass if the orange-haired teenager started despairing again.

Still, the situation needed to be addressed, and Zangetsu was going to be the one to address it. The Quincy spirit was already talking with Ichigo and slowly encouraging the teen to open up, but Ichigo had a skull thicker than the walls of most bank vaults when certain emotions came up and the Quincy spirit sometimes struggled to break through them.

Luckily, Zangetsu was the king of breaking things.

* * *

**"Hey. Hey. Hey, you. Hey. Hey. Hey. You. Hey."**

"WHAT?" Ichigo snapped, his patience finally running out. "It's the middle of the night! Why are you even materialized? Did you do it just to annoy me?"

**"Yes. Stop moping."**

"Mopi—shut up! I'm not!"

**"You are."**

"Go bother the other Zangetsu or something; I'm trying to sleep."

**"You were _talkin'_ to the other Zangetsu until five minutes ago, ya idiot."**

"Going to bed!"

Zangetsu rolled his eyes while Ichigo rolled over and pretended to sleep. After a few minutes, Ichigo actually began to sleep and Zangetsu watched him for a little while, noting that he looked a lot younger like that. It had been the same way during the war; when Ichigo was unbothered by nightmares, he had looked every bit the teenager he was. Even later, he had still looked disturbingly young.

Once he was sure that Ichigo wouldn't be rousing any time soon, Zangetsu hopped out the window, making sure to keep his Reiatsu at a level that wouldn't alert Zennosuke, the Visored, or, even worse, Mayuri. Zangetsu shuddered at the thought of that madman—and dismissed the voice in his head that said he was _just_ as mad—and took off at a slow jog to get to Kisuke's. He avoided using Sonido or Shunpo simply because the techniques used Reiatsu, and would draw unwanted attention his way.

He reached his destination after several minutes of jogging and ran right up to the front door. He'd just made it on the threshold when said door slid open, revealing a yawning Kisuke.

"Zangetsu? Wasn't expecting you. What do you need at such an hour?"

**"Ta call in a favor. Figured now was as good a time as any."**

Kisuke blinked, his sleep-deprivation clear, but somehow the man pushed that aside and welcomed Zangetsu inside his shop. As had become their ritual, the two sat across from one another at the low table and waited for a couple minutes in silence.

Kisuke was the one to break the silence, his tone not careful but certainly not blunt. "I'm going to guess that this is about Ichigo and his dangerous levels of stress."

**"What else?"**

"Hm." Kisuke adjusted his hat, apparently having misplaced his fan and not looking too happy about that fact. "He certainly isn't in a good situation mentally right now, but I hate to tell you; I'm a genius, but I'm no therapist."

**"Ichigo doesn't need a damned shrink." **Zangetsu saw Kisuke's raised eyebrow and amended his statement. **"Much. Just some . . . vacation time."**

"If he's away from here, he won't be fighting."

Zangetsu slammed one hand down on the table, eyes blazing. **"If he's not sleepin' 'cause of nightmares, if he's having panic attacks between hollow attacks, if he's tryin' ta balance the life of a teenager and a Shinigami at the same time without a tonna help, he'll collapse before he realizes how damned far he's fallen, and then he won't be fightin' either!" **The hollow abruptly calmed. **"Ya can't be strong when you're distracted."**

"He probably has some form of PTSD," Kisuke pointed out. "Most certainly trauma from what he's experienced at such an age, even without the war you've described."

**"And look at all the shit you've done ta help 'im with that," **Zangetsu replied scathingly. **"I'm s'posed ta be a reflection of his soul. What does that tell ya?"**

"That, unfortunately, I seem to have missed out on an order of straightjackets."

**"Hilarious. Ya know what I'm askin'."**

Kisuke sighed. "Yes, yes I do. Give me a day; I'll pull some strings and see what I can accomplish. I'll just erase the debt I owe y—"

**"No."**

"—ou some other day, since clearly this does not make up for it," Kisuke continued smoothly. Zangetsu smiled thinly.

**"That's what I thought, bastard."**

"May I sleep now? It's only—hm—one in the morning? I need my four hours of beauty rest, you know."

**"Ya could shoot for twenty-four and it wouldn't make a difference," **Zangetsu drawled. **"Plus, I know ya weren't sleepin' when I came over. Ya probably haven't slept in . . ." **Zangetsu gave Kisuke a critical look. **"Three days. Four, tops."**

"Five," Kisuke admitted, sounding entirely too cheerful. "No need to worry, everything is well in hand."

Something sparked from one of the back rooms, but before Zangetsu could comment on it, Kisuke ushered him from the shop.

"It was nice talking with you, hope to see you again! I will have Ichigo's wonderful getaway arranged soon!"

Zangetsu blinked at the abruptly closed door that was now in his face, then sighed and began walking away. He didn't even break his stride when a mild explosion followed by a puff of smoke came from the shop.

* * *

"Hey, are you serious?" Ichigo asked.

**"Yeah. Get your ass in gear."**

"But—"

**"Everything's been covered, ya idiot. Just go; your friends are goin' too. Go!"**

* * *

Zangetsu let out a contented sigh for what must have been the fifth time that minute. He could feel the Quincy spirit's annoyed look easily, but he ignored it, as he had been doing for quite some time. After all, he'd actually solved a problem by thinking instead of just slicing it up with a sword, which he was pretty proud of.

It wasn't even raining in Ichigo's inner world anymore. Zangetsu counted that as a win and enjoyed the feeling of the sun on his face, even if intermittent clouds occasionally blocked it out.

He stayed like that for several minutes, an expression that on anyone else could have been called serene on his face. A breeze rustled his hair and tugged at his Shihakushō, but Zangetsu paid it no mind.

The Zanpakutō spirit was seconds from drifting off to sleep when footsteps snapped him out of his semiconscious state. He cracked one eye open and made eye contact with his Quincy half, who had a relaxed yet still serious expression. Zangetsu blew out a breath and shifted into a sitting position, leaning back on his elbows to stay upright.

**"What? Why're ya lookin' at me like that?"**

"I wish to thank you for taking steps to protect Ichigo where I could not," the spirit said simply. "I find it more difficult to manifest in the material world, yet you do it with ease."

**"For good reason. What, are ya thankin' me for sendin' King ta the beach with his friends?"**

"In a way, yes. He needed this break."

Zangetsu scoffed. **"Well, glad ta see that at least one of us knows how fuckin' mental health works."**

The Quincy spirit raised one eyebrow. "You do not?"

**"Hello? Hollow? Limited emotional and empathetic capacity?"**

"You seem plenty empathetic, especially recently."

**"Extenuating circumstances," **Zangetsu muttered, lying back down. **"Don't expect it ta continue, Old Man. My bleedin' heart ain't a normal state of bein'."**

The older Zangetsu looked amused. "Bleeding heart? I certainly never mentioned anything to that extreme."

**"Go ta Hell."**

"But I'm already standing near you, aren't I?"

Zangetsu grit his teeth, his annoyance flaring to life. **"I don't remember ya bein' such a sarcastic little shit."**

"How often did we talk?"

**"Not often. And it was _great_."**

"Hm, I will keep that in mind," said the Quiny spirit with the air of someone who was most definitely _not_ going to keep it in mind. "However, I did not come here to bicker with you."

**"Really? Ya sure about that?"**

"Quite. I want to talk about what your plan to do after Ichigo's vacation."

Zangetsu shrugged. **"No clue."**

"That's a lie; I can see that you have some idea of what you want to do after this."

**"Tch. Annoying, aren'tcha? Fine. Ichigo's gonna go out and get his ass kicked by a hollow. Understand?"**

"Why? He has already been beaten down enough. You have the capacity to make him strong without presenting him with these challenges that could potentially break his spirit over and over again."

Zangetsu got to his feet, not making eye contact with his counterpart for a good fifteen seconds. When he did, his eyes were glittering with irritation.

**"Ya think that power ya get is the same as power ya earn? If Ichigo doesn't understand where his power comes from, how the hell is he supposed ta use it properly? What's the point of fightin' and growin' stronger if he doesn't struggle? What the fuck is the point of him not growin' as a person? Did ya think about that, huh?"**

The Quincy spirit was quiet for a moment. Then he smiled. "Well, it's good to see that you thought about it as well."

**" . . . Shut up. I really hate you sometimes."**

"I will consider that an improvement. By the way, what were you referring to when you said that Ichigo is going to 'get his ass kicked by a hollow'? Do you mean in a way similar to his fight with Grimmjow?"

**"No. He's going to get his ass kicked on an entirely new level."**

"There's a hollow stronger than Grimmjow that was under Aizen's command?"

**"Yeah. A much stronger hollow. Even now, King's gonna have a tough time with him. He might hollowfy, but even then—"**

"Hollowfy?" The Quincy spirit frowned. "What do you mean, 'hollowfy'? That doesn't sound like something I want to happen. It could cause damage—"

**"Please, I know what I'm doin'. It won't kill 'im, if that's what you're worried about. It's somethin' he's gotta know about, or he could get into all kinds of trouble without realizin' it."**

"Ah, this is the same argument as before. You want him to know and completely understand the true origins and the actual extent of his abilities."

Zangetsu shrugged. **"Sure, go with that. Makes me sound smart."**

His Quincy counterpart sighed. "You're extremely difficult to talk to."

**"Duly noted."**

"I want to know more about this hollowfication. I want to know for sure that it will not have lasting effects on Ichigo, and that it will not change him as a person."

Zangetsu snorted. **"Oh, it'll change him as a person. Ya think becomin' a hollow wouldn't scar him psychologically or whatever the fuckin' word is?"**

"You're doing this with the intent to scar him?"

**"Nah." **Zangetsu grew tired of standing and sat back down, hesitating for only a second to put his cleaver aside before he lay flat on his back, hands behind his head. **"I'm just sayin' it'll happen. We'll talk; it'll work out."**

"You have a lot of faith in your position as one of his Zanpakutō spirits."

Zangetsu blew out a breath of irritation. **"'Course. I've known him for years, ya idiot. We've got a great relationship or whatever."**

"I'm fairly certain that a relationship built on nearly killing each other on several occasions is not a great one."

**"It's more than that. You're bein' intentionally dense. Don't think I can't see where you're goin' with this."**

"If you can see it, why not jump straight to my point?"

**"Don't want to."**

"Then it is your own fault that this conversation is dragging on."

**"I don't fuckin' care, all right?" **Zangetsu snapped, his annoyance running high. **"I get what you're tryin' ta say and I. Don't. Fuckin'. Care. Understand?"**

"We need to talk. If we are not in agreement then Ichigo will be the one to suffer the consequences."

Zangetsu huffed, not liking but still seeing and understanding the logic in his counterpart's words. **"Fine."**

"You are relying too heavily on your past experiences with Ichigo—both in this timeline and the last—and forcing the Ichigo you perceive into a mold he doesn't fit. You're pushing him too hard."

**"He got pushed harder than this before! I'm bein' easy on him!"**

"Are you being easy enough?" The Quincy Zangetsu returned evenly. "Are you seriously taking into consideration his mental health? Are you thinking about his dreams, his desires, his aspirations?"

**"Don't give me that crap. I'm doin' everythin' I can for him! Hell, I got him on this vacation!"**

"And that does seem to be the right thing to do, but do you honestly know how to interact with Ichigo in this stage?"

**"I can bullshit it just fine."**

"You're ignoring the problem; you are still disconnected from him."

**"It's. Necessary," **Zangetsu ground out, not looking quite so relaxed anymore. **"If I wasn't, he'd be burnin' up inside from Reiatsu overload or whatever the term is."**

"That's not what I am talking about and you know it. I am talking about your distancing in the regular scheme of things. You are not as fully connected to him as a Zanpakutō should be; you are in sync enough to function, but there is discord that he will notice eventually."

**"Tch. I know what I'm doin'."**

"No, I don't believe you do. You came back from a future in which all Ichigo really knew was war, did you not? That means that your knowledge is just as limited. You are a hollow, a Zanpakutō spirit of a living teenage boy, and a time traveler all in one. You are _not_ a caretaker, nor a guardian."

Zangetsu grit his teeth, his eyes squeezed shut. It was difficult to tell what he was feeling. His Quincy counterpart continued despite the lack of reaction.

"You have been doing your best to help and support Ichigo, and you have been doing an impressive job; I have rarely found a need to step in and assist. You told me to trust you that first day and I did. I do not regret that decision.

"However, Ichigo is not the only being with problems. You have your own desires for him, desires that you won't be able to meet. No doubt you are fighting your hollow nature at this very moment. How difficult was it to go to Kisuke and ask him for help? How much did that pain you?"

**"Shut up." **Zangetsu still had his eyes closed, but his scowl was far darker than before. **"Just . . . shut up. I'm fine. Ichigo's the important one here."**

"You saw what happened to Muramasa when the Zanpakutō spirit—"

**"This isn't ANYTHING like fucking Murumasa and Kōga!" **Zangetsu roared, leaping to his feet, grabbing the other spirit by his collar, and lifting him into the air all in the span of a heartbeat. He was breathing hard, and there was a wild light dancing in his eyes. **"Don't fucking compare King and me with those two. Don't. Fucking. Do it!"**

The Quincy spirit remained incredibly composed. "My apologies."

After a few more seconds, Zangetsu let him down. It took another moment for the hollow to let go of the other man's collar, and then he took a few steps away, looking at the clouds scuttling across the sideways sky.

Then Zangetsu sighed, and, without looking at the other spirit, began speaking.

**"I know I'm not the best guy for this. I get it. I know Ichigo could do better; hell, the kid needs an actual therapist, but I can't let him do that. It just . . . it feels wrong." **One of his hands curled into a fist. **"I don't like the idea of Ichigo needing help like that, so I've done everything I can to prepare him for this. I helped 'im when his mother died, and tried to get him ready for the strong opponents, but I don't . . ."**

He forced his hand to relax and then ran it through his hair, clearly frustrated.

**"I don't know how to interact with him when he hasn't gone through the shit he went through when I knew him. I could be doing so much more to help 'im, and I do want to, but at the same time I really, really don't."**

Zangetsu let out a short, surprisingly bitter laugh. **"I'm shapin' him into the guy I swore I would never let him become again, just because I don't know what else ta do."**

Silence blanketed Ichigo's inner world for a few minutes. Neither spirit said a word and merely waited for the tension that had built up during the conversation to dissipate. When it did, the Quincy spirit cleared his throat.

"I believe that you have been doing what you can. Protecting Ichigo—sheltering him—is not for the best. However, you're forgetting that you are just as fallible—if not more so—than he is. You can go to others for advice and help, as you have been doing with Kisuke. There is nothing wrong with that, yet you focus on why you are not strong enough to protect Ichigo all on your own."

Zangetsu let out a noise that could have been a sneeze or a snort. **"Ya don't understand the irony right now," **he said, **"but you had this same problem."**

"Hmph. All the more shame on you for developing it in my place."

**"Ah, who gives a fuck? Shut up. I'm done with this deep existential-purpose-of-life shit for now."**

The Quincy spirit's lips curled into a slight smile. "I agree. You can only discuss these things so much in a day."

* * *

_A/N (*sings*) CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT MOTHERFUCKERS._

_For those of you wondering why Zangetsu's accent disappeared while he was speaking in the latter half of the chapter, well it's like this: you know how when you get really angry/upset and you start enunciating everything super clearly? Yeah. He did that._

_And, to clarify, the Quincy spirit is not okay with the hollowfication thing; he just sees no alternative to give Ichigo that same amount of power. (No, Ichigo isn't ready to do the Quincy equivalent yet.)_

_Reviews:_

_Krazyfanfiction1: That may be possible, though I won't be exploring that option in this story. I'm pretty sure there are others stories that have looked at that option._

_Kuruma's Foxy Rose: Yeah, that's always bugged me slightly when I read Murumasa stories. The guy definitely didn't have a great life, but his power is messed up and he messed up a lot of people as a result. A few tears and a sad backstory don't change what he did. Nice quote, by the way; I enjoyed that movie._

_BrokenLifeCycle: I have been addressing the interactions between Ichigo and the Quincy Zangetsu on the side. They will never be a main part of this story; Skipping Stones is mainly about Ichigo and Zangetsu growing and developing as characters. As for the future plot, I really have no idea. I've been winging this story from the get-go and I'm honestly surprised that it's gone on this long. I'll probably do Hell Verse, and maybe I'll end this story after that (once they reveal Ichigo's bankai). It's sucking up a lot of my free time tbh._

_yiggdrasill: That's good. I'm trying to get better at writing character interactions and this story has given me a perfect opportunity, so thank you for the feedback!_

_kyzalon: I honestly don't know. I'm kinda winging it at this point._

_Zaralann: Long story short, not well. Not well at all._

_Again, I'm going on hiatus, not just for this story, but for all my stories. You can check my profile for updates (once I actually update it, 'course)._

_-RoR_

**_Please review._**


	21. Chapter 21: Interlude

_It's been a while, huh? Anyway, in celebration of Halloween, I'm posting the next chapter. Am I off hiatus? Nope. Have I written the next chapter? Nope. Am I going to get my shit together anytime soon? __Nope._

* * *

Chapter 21

Ichigo let out a long, long, _long_ sigh. It wasn't an irritated sigh, or a tired sigh, or even a sigh for the sake of sighing; no, it was a contented sigh.

Because he _was_ content.

He could hear the crashing of the waves on the beach, feel the breeze in his hair, smell the salt in the air, and see the bright blue sky meeting the dark blue ocean in the distance. The view was incredible, and the beach chair he was sitting in was the perfect seat to watch it from.

He was still slightly sweaty from the volleyball game he'd played a few minutes ago, but the sun was doing an admirable job of drying him off.

"Ichigo!"

He glanced up, smiled slightly. "Hey, Orihime." His eyes drifted down to the drinks she held in both hands, allowing him to look away from her furiously blushing face. "What's up?"

"I-I thought you might be thirsty, so I brought you a drink!" She smiled brightly and handed it to Ichigo. The orange-haired boy accepted it, saying thanks as he did. He was, in fact, thirsty—he blamed Uryū and, to a lesser extent, Chad. The Quincy boy had taken the volleyball game very seriously, forcing Ichigo to compete just as furiously or risk losing.

He knew, deep down, that it was his own fault, but he decided to ignore that fact. Blaming Uryū was more fun, anyway.

As for Chad, the guy was so ridiculously strong that his spikes simply weren't fair.

Ichigo and Orihime made small talk for a minute before Rukia snatched Orihime's attention. Ichigo let them go do whatever it was they were doing—sand castles, apparently—and went back to relaxing.

He decided to do some thinking, which he had been doing off and on the entire trip. Zangetsu—both spirits, really—had made it abundantly clear that this vacation was for Ichigo to unwind, and the teen was more than happy to do exactly that. Already, that strange, suffocating pressure that had lurked on his shoulders and chest since Soul Society had eased. He almost couldn't feel it anymore, and it was only the third day.

Speaking of the two Zanpakutō, they had been curiously quiet the entire trip. Ichigo appreciated the rare moment of peace; they seemed to be giving him some space. At first, he'd tried to go into his inner world to investigate, only to get booted out. Far from being annoyed or worried, Ichigo had accepted the message for what it was and moved on.

He took a sip of his drink and savored the flavor.

Yes, Ichigo was well aware that he'd been way too . . . _tense_ recently. He knew it as well as he knew anything else about himself. The problem was, he hadn't been able to _stop_. He'd been snapping at his family before he even fully understood what had set him off in the first place, and the apologies had come out unwillingly or simply gotten stuck in his throat.

Hell, one or two nights, he'd felt as though he was being suffocated. The nightmares—Murumasa turning his spirits against him, Kōga winning, his mother (always his mother) dying but now he could _see_ the hollow—

They didn't stop. Sometimes, when he looked down, he had to blink several times to clear the image of blood on his hands, staining his skin.

Sometimes it took longer than that.

But now—

Now, he was feeling better. Not relieved, not absolved, but better. Looser. More relaxed. And he got the feeling that this relaxation was exactly what he needed. Not having to worry about hollow attacks, not constantly being under pressure to save a world he didn't even know about two years ago, not endlessly worrying about the safety of his own friends and family—

It was liberating. Kisuke had been explicitly clear when he said that he'd keep Karakura Town safe, and Ichigo trusted him on that.

He took another sip of the drink Orihime had given him (good, he noted mentally) and just let himself relax.

His mind wandered. He found himself thinking about his Zanpakutō and his soul as a whole. Just what _was_ he? Ichigo knew that he was part hollow, part human, and part Shinigami. The hollow part came from . . . somewhere, the Shinigami part from his Dad, and his human part from his mom. He was a balance of three parts.

Zangetsu was split into two blades; the cleaver and the trench knife. The hollow reflection of his soul was clearly the source of the cleaver, while the Shinigami portion (well, they were both Shinigami, but Ichigo was focusing on the dominant traits) was the source of the trench knife. The blades certainly fit their personalities; the hollowfied Zangetsu was bloodthirsty, sometimes cruel, and merciless when it came to battle. He fought with offense being the only objective.

As for the calmer, older Zangetsu, his style was more . . . refined. Yeah, refined. He focused on planning and taking advantage of an opponents' weakness.

Yet, both blades could work together. Getsuga Jūjishō was a good example of that teamwork; when combined, the daishō pair was certainly deadly.

What confused Ichigo was the way the two interacted. It wasn't that they were hostile; no, there was just something _off_ about the way they talked. A slight shift in Zangetsu's tone of voice, an even subtler shift in the older Zangetsu's posture. Ichigo couldn't put his finger on it, but it was there.

And it was driving him nuts.

Still, he trusted his Zanpakutō. He knew beyond doubt that those arrows (blue, glowing arrows, _just like Uryū's_) had something to do with that strange dissonance, but Ichigo wasn't going to press it. Zangetsu had said clearly that it _wasn't_ his place to say.

So, for now, Ichigo would focus on the troubles he _could_ fix, not the ones he couldn't.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and let the sound of the waves carry him off to sleep.

* * *

_A/N Fun and very short. Very, very short._

_Reviews: _

_enjali: Unfortunately, it seems that a vacation is the best he's gonna get._

_Zivyx: _¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

_castielshumanheart: I actually didn't plan on Quincy Zangetsu being such a large part in this story; he kind of just...appeared._

_grandshadowseal: I'm honestly not a huge fan of Kon's character. If he does appear, it'll be a short little thing. And Zangetsu? Talking to someone? Admitting he's fucked up to someone that's not literally just a reflection of himself? Yeah, when it rains broken glass, maybe._

_Guest: The bankai in the Fullbringer Arc...if you don't read the manga, SPOILER ALERT, that's not Ichigo's _real_ bankai. It's...modified? I don't know the best way to put it. _

_To everyone else: Thank you, and I hope you continue to put up with my horrible updating habits!_

_-RoR_

**_Please review._**


	22. Chapter 22

_Yo. Been a while. Unfortunately, my writing life has picked up significantly and I'm spending less and less time on fanfiction and more and more time on my actual book. But, hopefully, I can run this story - and the rest of mine - to completion. (Basically, sorry for the late update, and I have no idea when the next one will be. Fortunately, this chapter is longer than normal.)_

* * *

Chapter 22

"What."

**"Look, if ya say it like that, I can't tell whether it's a question or a damn statement."**

Ichigo scowled harder. "Fine. _What_?"

**"Better," **Zangetsu said approvingly—or mockingly. His tone made it difficult to tell. **"So, what I said was—" **he began to speak very, very, slowly, and in a very, very patronizing tone, **"you're goin' back ta Hueco Mundo."**

Ichigo blew out a frustrated breath. No matter how much time passed, it was clear that he couldn't quite find the ability to deal with his Zanpakutō's habit of springing new plans on him seconds before said plans were carried out. Sure, it had been over two weeks since he'd come back from the beach, but still…Zangetsu didn't seem to understand the concept of forewarning.

"Why?

**" . . . Reasons."**

"Why did you hesitate?!"

Zangetsu waved a hand dismissively. **"Honestly, you're such a wimp sometimes."**

"You won't tell me what you're thinking!" Ichigo snapped, barely keeping his voice under control. Zangetsu watched with a raised eyebrow as the orange-haired teen reigned in his irritation. Had this really been bothering him this much? "Did it ever occur to you to actually tell me what the hell you're planning?"

Zangetsu paused, and it wasn't just caused by the ominous roll of thunder from the distant clouds in Ichigo's inner world. Then he shrugged. **"Not really."**

Ichigo's eye twitched.

**"I mean, I shoulda thought of that."**

Ichigo's eye twitched even more.

**"How did it never occur to me?"**

Abruptly, Zangetsu reached over one shoulder, grabbed the handle of his Zanpakutō, and then swiped at Ichigo with enough speed and power to generate whipping winds.

**"OF COURSE I THOUGHT ABOUT IT, YOU FUCKIN' IDIOT!"**

Ichigo stopped the blade barehanded, sparks flying from his palm. Zangetsu raised one eyebrow, his outburst already forgotten as he stared hard at his partner and wielder.

**"You've gotten better at Hierro."**

"Haven't you been paying attention?" Ichigo grunted, the strain of stopping Zangetsu's strike obvious in his voice and in the way his arm shook. Clearly, halting the blade in its tracks had taken its toll.

**"I have," **Zangetsu replied. His eyes narrowed, and he decided to remind Ichigo of just what he would be facing in the future. **"But apparently, you haven't."**

Barely a second later, Zangetsu moved his sword, returning it to its proper place on his back. At the same time, Ichigo let out a curse, bringing his hand to his chest and holding it there.

A thin trail of crimson squeezed out from between his fingers. A drop formed and then fell, soon followed by another, and another. The crimson liquid splattered against the smooth surface of the skyscraper.

**"Don't get cocky," **Zangetsu said flatly. **"You've still got a long ways ta go."**

"Yeah, all right," Ichigo muttered, staring at his hand. A shallow cut ran across his palm, the skin split open from Zangetsu's blade. "You cut through my Hierro like it was nothing." He paused for a beat. "You also switched my focus. Seriously, tell me what you're planning!"

**"I can cut through your Hierro 'cause I'm stronger than you," **Zangetsu said simply. **"And we're goin' ta Hueco Mundo so ya can fight again."**

"Fight? Fight Grimmjow?"

Zangetsu shook his head. **"No. Someone else." **The spirit grinned, bloodlust flashing in his eyes that had Ichigo eyeing him warily. **"He'll be more of a challenge."**

Ichigo glanced at the nearby Quincy spirit, but found no solace in his unreadable gaze. He then turned back to Zangetsu, who was waiting expectantly.

"All right, fine."

* * *

Ichigo's inner world shook again. And again. And again. Zangetsu rode each tremor, paying no heed to the cracks spiraling through the skyscraper he stood upon. His gaze was fixed firmly above, his jaw set just as firmly. His expression wasn't a scowl, or a grin; it was merely impatient.

**"Damn, did it take him this long to get his ass kicked the first time around?" **Zangetsu muttered. He didn't remember most of the original timeline's fight clearly; Ichigo had suppressed him around this point, and Zangetsu had been relegated to the backseat, so to speak. All he had been able to do was look out the side windows and guess what was going on in front.

The world shook.

Zangetsu guessed that Ichigo was losing.

He could feel the Quincy spirit's gaze.

**"He'll be fine," **Zangetsu told him absently.

"I am not the one that needs that reassurance. You've been holding your swords since this fight began."

Zangetsu blinked, surprised, and looked down. Sure enough, he was holding his weapons. **"Huh. Didn't notice."**

"Clearly."

**"Shut up," **Zangetsu said while he sheathed his weapons.

"Out of curiosity, what exactly happens when Ichigo . . . undergoes hollowfication? You neglected to mention the exact process earlier." The Quincy spirit's tone indicated exactly what he thought of that neglect and Zangetsu suppressed an indignant response.

Zangetsu raised one eyebrow instead. **"He turns inta a hollow."**

The Quincy spirit's lips twitched with frustration. "That's not what I meant. I'm asking, what is the exact process that—"

The sky went dark and both spirits froze at precisely the same moment, each feeling the change in Ichigo's soul. Zangetsu blinked, looked down, and coughed.

Bright crimson blood spattered against the surface of the pristine skyscraper.

**"Shit," **Zangetsu muttered. He glanced at the Quincy spirit, his body already trembling as old instincts came roaring back. **"If it comes down ta it, aim for the horns."**

A hole tore through his chest, and a primal scream broke free from its cage and burst from Zangetsu's throat. Still, the hollow battled against his instincts, struggling to grit his teeth even as the mask materialized and hid his face from view.

Where was Ichigo? He needed—

_BLOOD_

No, not that, he needed to—

_FIGHT_

Shit, not now, need to think—

_KILL_

Stop, just—

_FEED_

Stay in control, stay in control, stay in control, stayincontrolstayincontroljuststayincontroljust—

**_FEED._**

* * *

Zangetsu blinked, his eyes adjusting quickly to the dark. He had his swords out instantly and dropped into a defensive stance, gaze scanning the area for any sign of a threat.

Then he recognized where he was—or where he wasn't. He didn't see any sign of skyscrapers; inky blackness permeated his vision, preventing Zangetsu from seeing more than a foot in front of him. Even his Reiatsu senses were dulled, making him feel as though he was spiritually gagged.

So, this either wasn't Ichigo's inner world, or it was some variation of it. The kid had enough going on in his head to manifest different aspects of his inner world. But how had he gotten here? Zangetsu didn't often go exploring, and he couldn't remember any place that looked like this. Well, there was one that was kind of similar, but he could barely recall it...

**"Oi, King!" **He called, sheathing his weapons. Hearing no response, the hollow walked forward, absently scratching the back of his neck.

He was forgetting something important, wasn't he? Something like—

**"Fuck!"**

Zangetsu jumped back, hand on the hilt of his cleaver, and warily regarded the figure that had abruptly emerged from the dark in front of him. Then he realized what he was looking at and blew out a breath, removing his hand. **"Don't startle me like that, bastard," **he muttered.

He eyed the hollow. The skull-like mask, the horns, the clawed fingers and toes, the hole in its chest, the markings, the unmistakably human figure—

Yeah, it was Ichigo. Frozen, hollowfied Ichigo. There was no way for Zangetsu to not recognize him.

Ah, right. The Ulquiorra fight. Hollowfication. That little thing.

**"Kiiiiiiiiiiing," **Zangetsu called, sorely tempted to knock on the thing's mask and test whether it was truly frozen or not.

He knew what he was looking at, kind of. It was a mental representation of Ichigo's soul being hollowfied. Zangetsu could leave it like that and wait for Ichigo to break out of it on his own, or interfere.

On the other hand, he could wait for someone on the outside to interfere. He wasn't sure, but he was reasonably certain that the Quincy prick (Uryū—was that his name?) had interfered last time. Or had it been Orihime?

Zangetsu was under no illusion that waiting for Ichigo to break free on his own would take too long. The guy just didn't have the mental willpower and determination to overpower his hollow half, especially given that Zangetsu was far, far stronger than Ichigo at the moment. It simply wasn't feasible.

And Ulquiorra was probably dead by now, so outside interference wasn't really an option. The rest of the arrancar save possibly Starrk wouldn't be able to even survive Ichigo at the moment anyway.

**"Whoops."**

Zangetsu reached out, his fingers stretching towards the horn of the Hollow in front of him—

The limb stopped, frozen in midair. Zangetsu frowned, trying to grab the horn, but his arm wouldn't respond. He scowled, glancing at it—

His wrist had a red tuft of fur on it. His hands were clawed.

And he still couldn't move his arm. Zangetsu's scowl deepened. **"Move, dammit."**

His muscles wouldn't listen. He couldn't do anything. Zangetsu glanced up, staring the hollow right in its eyeholes. **"Oi, help me out here."** The hollow didn't respond. Zangetsu tsked, trying to hide the very real concern he felt over the fact that he couldn't force Ichigo out of the hollowfication. This most definitely _wasn't_ what he'd been expecting; even in the original timeline, Zangetsu had been able to do at least a little to stop Ichigo from murdering his friends, given the whole my-entire-purpose-is-to-protect thing Ichigo'd had going on at the time. Now, he couldn't seem to do anything. Like this wasn't his to control.

Zangetsu grit his teeth, annoyance and frustration welling up in equal amounts within him. It was _his_ hollow transformation, for fuck's sake. He could control it. He _would_ control it. **_"Move!"_**

The limb didn't. Zangetsu's teeth ground together and his Reiatsu rose up like waves of red and white, a visible show of his frustration—

And suddenly the Quincy spirit was there, appearing so suddenly that Zangetsu could only stare at him in shock, his Reiatsu vanishing. This hadn't happened in the original timeline. The Quincy spirit hadn't even been a factor in this battle in Ichigo's soul. He'd been—what, knocked out? Zangetsu couldn't even remember.

The Quincy spirit sighed. He didn't say anything, but Zangetsu could hear his reprimand clearly enough.

**"Shut up, Oldie! I can handle this!"**

The Quincy sword spirit just shook his head and reached out, grabbing the horn Zangetsu hadn't been able to reach with ease. Zangetsu's arm dropped back to his side, the invisible puppet strings that had been holding it in place snapping at the same time as the other Zangetsu broke off the horn.

The sound reverberated throughout the dark space, echoing ominously.

More cracks sounded almost immediately, crisscrossing Ichigo's white skin and quickly covering his entire body. Zangetsu winced, stepping back and checking the condition his own body as lightning bolts of pain lanced throughout his muscles. The Quincy spirit had already vanished, returned to whatever place he'd been at to get into this reflection of Ichigo's soul in the first place.

All at once, the white substance that covered Ichigo's body began falling off and disintegrating while his long hair simply disappeared bit by bit. After a few seconds, the mask fell off, shattering like porcelain against the ground. Zangetsu rushed forward just in time to catch the deathly pale Ichigo as he fell, his cry of, **"King!"** echoing just as sharply as the cracks had a minute earlier.

* * *

Zangetsu couldn't stop pacing. He didn't know where he'd picked up the habit—maybe he could blame his stupid King—but he couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. Ichigo was laid out on a cot in front of him, the teen's skin still too pale and his breathing still too shallow.

_My fault, my fault, _my fault.

"Calm down."

**"Like hell I'm gonna calm down," **Zangetsu snapped, whirling on the only other hollow in the room. Ulquiorra didn't even blink in the face of Zangetsu's anger.

"Your uncontrolled Reiatsu will only disturb his recovery. Can you not understand that?"

Zangetsu decided that he didn't like Ulquiorra's only-barely-polite tone and settled on snarling at the arrancar before resuming his pacing. He could sense the other arrancar outside, knew that they were drawn to his troubled Reiatsu. He didn't really care about that—they weren't a danger to Ichigo—but they annoyed him nonetheless.

"Do you want them to leave?" Ulquiorra inquired flatly. Zangetsu glanced at him.

**"Do what you want."**

Ulquiorra nodded and left, taking his creepy aura with him. Zangetsu knew that he should be pleased on some level that Ulquiorra had survived, but he couldn't quite get a grasp on that emotion. Instead, Zangetsu stared after him for a few seconds, wondering just what the hell had happened to produce an arrancar like Ulquiorra before he switched his attention back to Ichigo and, by extension, himself.

Zangetsu glanced at his hands. They were no longer clawed, but Zangetsu could remember that sight vividly. He hadn't had his body change like that without him initiating it in a long, _long_ time.

To make matters more complicated, he knew that, underneath his Shihakushō, black markings now spiraled outwards from where the hole in his chest should have been. Those hadn't been there before, and Zangetsu wasn't really sure what to make of them.

He blinked when Ulquiorra's Reiatsu spiked and then lost interest. **"King, get up."**

The only response was Ichigo's deep breathing. Zangetsu groaned and plopped into a sitting position on the cot next to him, resting his elbow on his knee and his chin in his palm. After a few seconds, he saw the Quincy spirit manifest in a swirl of blue Reiatsu.

"I have done what I can to mend his mind," the man said. "The hollowfication caused an impressive amount of damage."

_Damage that had gone unaddressed before_, Zangetsu knew. He decided not to mention that.

He blinked, realizing that the other spirit was giving him that look, the one that annoyed Zangetsu like nothing else. **"What?"**

"You required my help to break the hollowfication. Yet you sounded so confident describing it to me, as though you were sure that you could do it all on your own."

**"So? I should've been able to."**

"You weren't."

**"I know that."**

"Why?"

Zangetsu worked his jaw, eyeing his counterpart before looking back to the unconscious Ichigo with a stormy expression. **"I don't know. That—that wasn't right. And now I've got these—" **he pulled aside his shihakushō, revealing the markings, **"which I didn't have before."**

"Your hollow abilities are stronger than they were before at this point, aren't they?"

**"That…actually might be right."** Zangetsu thought about it for a minute, mulling the idea over in his head. **"Yeah. I've been trainin' Ichigo for longer now, payin' more attention to his hollow side than before…I went in with the expectation that his hollowfication would be at the same level as before."**

"Did you try to break his hollowfication last time?"

**"No. I just…interfered with its actions a little."**

"Why?"

**"Because King's all about protectin' people and he was about to murder his friends, which just sat wrong with me."**

"But you didn't try to actually stop him."

Zangetsu shrugged. **"Not my job."**

The other Zangetsu actually sighed, which only served to piss off his time-travelling counterpart. "So, in essence, we are in completely unknown territory."

Zangetsu returned his gaze to Ichigo, his expression pulled into a scowl. **"Yeah." **And, for whatever reason, he felt compelled to add, **"I didn't think this would happen."** Ichigo looked so weak, sprawled out and unconscious like that. **"I didn't mean to hurt him like that."** It wasn't a wound Zangetsu could heal, not like the cuts and bruises. This ran far deeper. This had been there since Ichigo found out exactly what Zangetsu was.

**"King…"** Ichigo gave no response; his eyes remained shut, his teeth clenched against some unknown nightmare. **"Why the hell didn't you tell me you weren't ready?"**

But Zangetsu knew the answer to that. Ichigo, while he was an essentially honest person, hadn't been able to admit his own weakness. With Zangetsu constantly pushing him to be stronger, to do more, to do better, there had never really been a time for Ichigo to say, "I can't do this, I need a break."

And sure, he'd gotten a break, but it was for a different reason than his internalized frustrations.

**"I shoulda noticed," **Zangetsu muttered, staring at Ichigo and cursing himself. **"Shoulda known that we weren't in sync from the second this crap started."**

Zangetsu had no doubt that Ichigo consciously trusted him. He was the kid's Zanpakutō, after all. But, subconsciously, Ichigo was holding back. Not much, not enough to really be noticeable—

But enough to throw off his powers, to upset his hollowfication, especially in the face of a far more powerful hollow side.

Maybe that was it. The fact that Zangetsu was simply so strong. Every time they sparred, Zangetsu had made it completely clear that he was stronger than Ichigo, that Ichigo still had a long way to go, and every time Ichigo had done something new or shown improvement Zangetsu had weighed it against his own strength and deemed it _not enough_—

That was it.

Had Zangetsu ever really played more of a role than instructor? He'd tried to help Ichigo with everything but by doing so he'd neglected the area he should've been the best at: making Ichigo stronger. He'd addressed some parts of the mental aspect of strength while ignoring others and now Ichigo was paying the price.

There was no "good job" at the end of a session for Ichigo. Zangetsu didn't care for that kind of crap. It was always, "moving on" and "next". And on each occasion Ichigo was reminded of Zangetsu's—of his hollow side's—strength. But it had to be more than that; Ichigo wasn't one to be daunted by strength alone. The fact that Zangetsu was a hollow had to be the driving reason behind whatever internalized feeling Ichigo had that was preventing Zangetsu from truly connecting with him. And as much as the thought pained Zangetsu, he could understand why. Hollows had taken Ichigo's mother and threatened his family and friends; to admit that he _was_ one, at least in part, was a big pill to swallow. And Zangetsu had completely disregarded it.

The hollow felt like cursing himself. Every time he thought he was doing something right, it only turned out even more wrong.

**"The idiot doesn't even fully comprehend that I _am_ him," **Zangetsu muttered, putting his face in his hands and not caring about how that position muffled his voice. **"And I can't just straight up tell him."**

But there was a niggling voice in the back of his mind: why not? Why not just tell Ichigo? When had he come to the conclusion that Ichigo had to find that entirely on his own?

Was it worth waiting like that when it caused Ichigo pain he shouldn't need to experience to grow?

Zangetsu groaned, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes. This was way too complicated. Way, _way_ too complicated. He was getting a headache just thinking about all of the crap he'd been trying to address over the past few weeks.

And then it hit him. He'd never asked Ichigo. The simplest of solutions, and Zangetsu hadn't even really considered it an option.

The hollow huffed out a breath. **"Great."**

"Z-Zangetsu?"

Peering from between his fingers, Zangetsu saw Ichigo staring at him, the teen's gaze wary and his voice weak.

But he was awake. Zangetsu felt it in his core, felt a subtle shift in his inner balance, a sign that his wielder was okay. Although, considering the way Ichigo looked, "okay" was a relative term.

**"You're finally up," **Zangetsu said, shoving his earlier thoughts to the side. **"Took you fuckin' forever."**

Ichigo blinked. He slowly sat up, wincing as his clearly sore muscles protested. One hand came up to his chest and Zangetsu looked away as Ichigo probed for the hole that was no longer there. "Zangetsu…what happened? What…what _was_ that?" Ichigo's brows scrunched together. "I don't…I don't understand."

**"Hollowfication," **Zangetsu said quietly, his own hand coming up to his chest. Ichigo stared. **"You were on the brink of death, so your hollow powers saved your life at the cost of turning you—briefly—into a hollow. Like what happened with the Visored, but at a much more dangerous level."**

"Oh," Ichigo said quietly. Zangetsu didn't like the way he said that at all, but he knew that pressing the issue when Ichigo was this physically tired and mentally drained would be a mistake. Instead, he took a deep breath, channeling the responsibility of the Quincy spirit.

**"Listen, King, we can talk about this later. Right now, we should head home. Don't want dear old Dad ta worry, yeah?"**

"Yeah, I guess." Ichigo's expression was still foggy, so Zangetsu did him the favor of opening up the Garganta and forming the path. He even oh-so-kindly allowed Ichigo to use him as a crutch.

_So this is what happens when adrenaline and Orihime aren't here to keep him going after hollowfication,_ Zangetsu noted dryly as Ichigo stumbled for the third time.

They dropped out of the Garganta near Ichigo's house, with Zangetsu doing his best to hide the signs of the tear in space from any probing eyes. It was a little past midnight, though dark clouds threatening rain above made it far more difficult to see than the normal nighttime sky. Making sure they weren't being watched, Zangetsu carried Ichigo most of the way to his house until Ichigo was able to support most of his own weight. Then Zangetsu was just there to make sure Ichigo didn't fall on his face.

The pair reached Ichigo's house and Zangetsu felt a bit of the stress he felt ease when Ichigo's shoulders lost some of their tension. Home was home, no matter what transpired outside of it.

"You have some explaining to do."

Zangetsu's stomach went somewhere up in his throat.

Isshin was standing in the doorway. Staring at Ichigo, and then at Zangetsu. The Zanpakutō spirit swallowed, feeling suddenly and completely out of place.

_Crap._

* * *

_A/N Zangetsu likes to pretend as though he doesn't really need the Quincy half of himself, but he really, really does. It's what keeps him from losing control._

_Reviews:_

_Darke13: Funny you should ask that, actually. You'll never guess what's coming._

_Red x: No_

_bleeb90: Yes, but feel free to do it again._

_I feel like a track stuck on repeat, but I have no idea when the next part will come. _

_-RoR_

**_Please review._**


	23. Chapter 23

_Hey, this story isn't dead! Sorry about the wait; writer's block. I am technically on hiatus still, but at this point it's just a way of me saying that my updates are going to be few and far between for any story other than whatever one I happen to be updating at a wild rate (coughTFOWRcough). Anyway, enjoy the talk that everyone's been waiting months for._

* * *

Chapter 23

The air inside the Kurosaki household was suffocating. Zangetsu had tried raising his Reiatsu to breathe easier, but the pressure was from something else. Even Ichigo, for all that his eyes were still slightly glazed with exhaustion, was showing signs of agitation in the way his gaze darted everywhere and didn't rest too long on the other human in the room.

It didn't help that Isshin had pushed the table aside and sat on the footstool just so he could glare at both Ichigo and Zangetsu at once. Zangetsu had already tried to return to Ichigo's inner world, but the Quincy spirit was doing a damned good job of forcing him out time and time again. Plus, with Ichigo as vulnerable as he was right now, Zangetsu wasn't actually inclined to run away and leave him to face this alone, no matter how much he hated the look Isshin was giving him right now.

"So you're my son's hollow," Isshin said after the tense silence became nigh unbearable. Zangetsu swallowed, cursing how uncomfortable he felt.

**"Yeah, what of it?"**

Isshin's expression was unreadable, and that fact alone put Zangetsu on guard. Isshin was _always_ like an open book, but now…the guy actually looked like a responsible person.

That was a scary thought.

"I was expecting something…different."

**"The hell is that supposed ta mean?"**

Isshin rubbed his chin. "Well, you look exactly like my son. It's a bit odd."

**"I _am_ your son," **Zangetsu said before he could stop himself. He froze, seeing that both Ichigo and Isshin's gazes were riveted on him. _Crap._ **"I'm part of him, at least," **Zangetsu added. Neither of them were ready for _that_ discussion yet.

"…Right," Isshin said slowly. "Well. I was simply expecting something more similar to—er, you know."

Zangetsu's eyes narrowed. As a matter of fact, he didn't know. But Isshin didn't have to realize that.

**"So."** Zangetsu kept his voice flat. **"What do you want?"**

"Cutting to the chase? I shouldn't be surprised."

"Hold on a second," Ichigo muttered, making a visible effort to pull himself together. "What's going on, Dad?" Zangetsu blinked. Dad? Not Goat-Face or Goat-Chin? Ichigo was being way too serious. "You and Zangetsu—how?"

Oh.

Isshin looked conflicted but Zangetsu wasn't going to give him the chance to backtrack. He had the opportunity to go on the offensive. **"Yeah, how?"**

Zangetsu had known that Isshin knew about Ichigo's Shinigami abilities since practically day one. He _hadn't_ known, however, that Isshin knew about Ichigo's hollow abilities, at least not in such a familiar capacity.

_Does he know something I don't?_

The thought that Isshin knew more about Zangetsu's origins than Zangetsu himself had Zangetsu on edge, a feeling he really didn't enjoy. Isshin glanced between Zangetsu and Ichigo, his expression giving away nothing.

"I can't give you all the details yet," Isshin eventually said. "It's not the time."

Ichigo drew breath to speak but Isshin held up one hand. "It's a long and complicated story, Ichigo, one that no one here has the energy to say or understand. There will come a day when you hear it in its entirety, but even I don't know when that will be."

**"Then what can you tell us?"** Zangetsu wasn't pleased with the idea of not being told everything. This was information he felt he should know—Ichigo had known it in the future, most likely—but it wasn't there. When had Isshin revealed this? Had it been—

When Zangetsu had been recovering and unaware of the world around him. That had to be it.

_Crap_.

"Your hollow is an…inherited trait, Ichigo," Isshin said. "Your mother and I both knew about it."

"Mom?" Ichigo echoed hollowly. "Mom knew?"

Isshin winced at Ichigo's tone. "Yes. Masaki knew about all of this."

Zangetsu glanced at Ichigo and saw him going through several stages of shock all at once. The kid had just had his image of his own mother irrevocably changed. Reaching out, Zangetsu gently shook Ichigo's shoulder.

**"Hey, King. Keep it together."**

Ichigo batted his hand away, but he was focused again. "How much did she know? Why?"

Isshin frowned. "She knew enough, and I can't say why. I'm sorry."

Ichigo pursed his lips but said nothing. Only the way his hands were balling into fists gave any indication of his emotional state.

That and the echoes Zangetsu was getting. They weren't pleasant.

As the stifling silence descended, Zangetsu felt the sudden and pressing need to change the subject. He hated the way Ichigo was staring at his dad without actually seeing him. Too much longer and the kid was going to get lost in his own head, a mess that Zangetsu did not want to deal with.

**"Isshin. What did you want? Why confront us now? Why not do it tomorrow, when we're not both fuckin' exhausted?"**

Isshin considered the question for a moment. Then he sighed. "I've been aware of your active existence for…a few weeks now, Zangetsu. It is Zangetsu, right?"

**"What else?"**

"Of course. But when you disappeared for an entire day with my son, after several other instances of Ichigo coming back bruises and battered with Reiatsu that would concern even someone from the Ele—well, you get my point. I worried. And apparently I was right to do so. What have you been doing with my son?"

**"Murdering him very, very slowly."**

"I want a serious answer."

**"That was a serious answer. Just look at 'im." **Zangetsu jerked his head at Ichigo.

Ichigo gave Zangetsu a sidelong glare in return. "Zangetsu."

**"Fine. I've been trainin' him. Happy? Your kid's stronger now."**

"Training how?" Isshin asked. "And why?"

Zangetsu scoffed. **"You thought your son could have Shinigami powers and not get targeted? He has to be stronger if he wants to avoid gettin' stepped on by the next giant to cross his path. So I'm doing whatever necessary to keep him alive and thriving."**

"But what are you doing?" Isshin pressed. He glanced at Ichigo, his expression tightening around the edges. "I need to know."

**"You _want_ to know," **Zangetsu corrected blithely. He ignored Ichigo's look. **"You don't need to worry about it."**

"I do." Isshin stared Zangetsu down and the hollow hid a flare of surprise when he saw how serious Isshin was. He didn't like serious Isshin; Isshin was only serious when he was very, very worried. Or on the verge of death. "Tell me."

Even Ichigo was looking at Zangetsu with that expectant air about him. Zangetsu worked his jaw before rolling his eyes. **"Strength stuff. Endurance by fightin' hollows. More strength and battle awareness by fightin' stronger hollows. Technique pointers by fightin' me. Happy?"**

"He's never come back with this kind of change in his Reiatsu before," Isshin said flatly. Zangetsu raised an eyebrow at the call on his omission. "What happened?"

Zangetsu glanced between Ichigo and Isshin. Isshin was not going to like this, and Zangetsu would have to bear the brunt of the blame.

It had been his idea, though, and Ichigo hadn't known about it.

**"He died. Kinda."**

"I hollowfied," Ichigo muttered. "Because I almost died. Or something. I don't—Dad?"

Isshin was staring. Zangetsu wondered whether waving his hand in front of the man's face would be a good idea, and got a good answer when Isshin's expression closed off so abruptly Zangetsu felt the shift in his Reiatsu.

"You did _what _to my son?" Isshin asked far too quietly, his gaze focusing solely on Zangetsu, who realized he was getting no help from Ichigo.

**"He's fine now!"** Zangetsu said hastily, feeling the need to explain even though it didn't matter, not really. **"Look, he just needs some sleep—"**

"You hollowfied my son," Isshin interrupted. Zangetsu glanced around the room. Was he about to get chased out? "Look at me." He did. "Yes or no. Did you hollowfy my son?"

Zangetsu scowled, not liking where this was heading. **"Yes."**

"Did he know?"

Zangetsu glanced at Ichigo for a split second. The teen had his eyes closed but Zangetsu had no doubt he was listening to every word.

**"No."**

"You did this without Ichigo's consent," Isshin summarized flatly. "You did that. To my son."

**"I'm part of him!"**

"A _Hollow_ part!" Isshin snapped, the first sign of his temper flaring that sat Zangetsu back. Isshin calmed quickly, rubbing his temple. "I don't—Ichigo, how long has this been going on? Do I—"

"It's fine, Dad," Ichigo muttered, cracking his eyes open. "I just need some rest. We can talk more in the morning."

**"See? Even Ichigo—"**

"Shut up, Zangetsu. I don't want to hear from you right now."

Zangetsu glanced at Ichigo, irritation sparking within him. **"What?"**

"I said, I don't want to listen to you. You _hollowfied _me."

**"It was part of your training."**

"And you couldn't tell me first? Give a little warning? I almost _died_!"

**"Almost!"**

"You're missing the goddamn point!" Ichigo growled, looking fully awake as he sat forward and looked Zangetsu right in the eye with tension rippling along his shoulders. "Do you even understand how awful this is? How stupid?"

Zangetsu felt Ichigo's anger and he scowled. **"Why the fuck does it matter?"**

Ichigo stared for a second, his eyes filled with disbelief. "Are you—what the hell? What the hell is wrong with you?"

**"Nothing at all,"** Zangetsu snarled sarcastically. **"Stop giving me this crap."**

"Oh, _you're_ annoyed now? Shocking. Leave me alone." Ichigo began to turn away and Zangetsu's annoyance boiled over.

**"WHY ARE YOU SO ANGRY?" **Zangetsu shouted, grabbing Ichigo by the collar to stop him from going away. He didn't expect Ichigo to reply just as loudly, grabbing Zangetsu in turn.

"BECAUSE YOU DON'T TRUST ME!"

That response was enough for Zangetsu's grip to slacken. Ichigo knocked his hand away and pushed Zangetsu back while getting to his feet, a scowl on his face. Zangetsu was almost in shock and didn't retaliate beyond saying, **"What?"**

"I said," Ichigo repeated tightly, "I'm angry because you don't trust me."

**"Of course I trust you!"** Zangetsu exploded, throwing his hands into the air. **"You're my goddamn King!"**

"Then why the hell don't you _tell me anything?!_"

**"I do!"**

"You don't! Every time it's, 'trust me!' And I do! I trust you because you're _me_ and—" Ichigo cut himself off. "You're keeping me in the dark when it's convenient for you. You. Don't. Trust me. You've told me almost nothing about what you're planning or what's going to happen, and the last time ended up with me—with me—with _that_!"

Zangetsu didn't have to be a genius to know that Ichigo was referring to his hollowfication. **"What about it? It worked out! You're gonna be stronger for it!"**

"Stronger this, stronger that! I'm sick of it!" Ichigo's eyes blazed with fire that Zangetsu had never seen before. And within every word was a dagger of betrayal that made Ichigo's statements all the more painful. "You're so goddamned hypocritical you can't even see it yourself! You're worried about me not trusting you? To hell with that! _You_ need to trust _me_!"

Zangetsu got to his feet as well, looking Ichigo right in the eye while he clenched his hands into fists to avoid shaking. **"I do trust you, King. That's how we've gotten so far."**

"No, you don't," Ichigo snarled, his anger palpable. Zangetsu felt almost physical pain in his chest as Ichigo shoved him aside and strode angrily out of the house, unmindful of the light rain that had begun to fall outside. The door slammed shut with a noise that snapped the Zanpakutō spirit out of his stupor, and he took a step after Ichigo—

"Wait." Isshin didn't take his hand off Zangetsu's shoulder until the spirit glanced his way. The aging man shook his head, a tired expression on his face that belied his earlier anger. "He needs his space right now." The father looked conflicted, having been forced to watch the argument escalate and suddenly Zangetsu realized that he hadn't interfered, that he'd just watched.

**"Why didn't you do anything?"** Zangetsu asked, not bothering to hide his frustration. Isshin closed his eyes, looking pained as he spoke.

"I can't fix bonds between a Shinigami and his Zanpakutō. That's your job and Ichigo's job. If you can't do it, then no one can."

Zangetsu bit back an angry retort and turned away. **"I'm going after him."**

"Before you do," Isshin said, and something in his tone made Zangetsu pause and glance his way, "know this: I distanced myself from Ichigo after Masaki's death and almost lost my son because of that. He experiences relationships far more intensely than many other people, and a betrayal by someone close to him—no matter how much that person thinks it isn't one—will break something inside of him."

Zangetsu swallowed. Betrayal—he hadn't betrayed Ichigo. Just withheld some information. That wasn't—

His head hurt. He could feel Ichigo's emotions bleeding into his own, making him feel worse than he already did for having a yelling match with his wielder, his King.

Zangetsu worked his jaw, loosening his hands only to make fists again. He was almost vibrating, his body not sure what to do with the energy the argument had called up. Normally, he and Ichigo would have come to blows and found some sort of understanding in that—

But this wasn't something that could be solved with a fight. This was a deeper wound. Zangetsu took a deep breath.

**"Fuck," **he muttered as he exhaled.

Isshin didn't make another move to stop him as Zangetsu followed in Ichigo's footsteps, locating the teen Shinigami through his turbulent Reiatsu.

He could've just returned to Ichigo's inner world. But with the way Ichigo had looked—so furious, so desperate, and so betrayed—Zangetsu didn't think that was a good idea. So, even though he quickly became soaked by the rain, Zangetsu kept walking after his King.

**"Where are you going?"** Zangetsu muttered to himself, mentally picturing Ichigo. Was Ichigo wandering, or did he actually have a destination in mind?

He did. Zangetsu found Ichigo by the river, tossing stones in the water. He wasn't skipping them, just watching them drop. He sat with his legs drawn up, one arm hung over them and his chin resting on that arm. Every piece of his body and aura told Zangetsu to stay away, so the spirit approached cautiously, knowing that he'd screwed up but not knowing how to make it right.

**"King—"**

"Please don't talk to me right now," Ichigo said tightly. He threw another stone, and it sank. Zangetsu worked his jaw.

**"But—"**

"Please."

And the word carried so little but conveyed so much, so Zangetsu shut his mouth. The rain came down in a soft drizzle, just enough to be annoying. Zangetsu watched it draw patterns on the river while the sounds of the night filled the spaces left by the lack of conversation.

When Ichigo didn't offer anything—and if the ache in Zangetsu's chest meant anything, he probably wouldn't at all that night—Zangetsu sat down a few yards away with a heavy sigh.

His head still hurt. He pushed that pain aside and turned his gaze to the overcast sky, blinking when rain fell into his eyes. But he was used to the feeling and so he watched as the clouds slowly released the storm, soaking him to the bone after several minutes.

He had to say something. Even though Ichigo had asked for silence, Zangetsu knew that it was his responsibility to build this bridge. He'd created this gap, whatever chasm Ichigo had come across, and it wasn't something he could just step around like all of the other ones. Ichigo had made that abundantly clear.

But what to say? What was the problem? If Zangetsu tried to say anything without really feeling it, Ichigo would know and that would probably make things worse.

Trust. Ichigo had been yelling about trust. Something about Zangetsu needing to trust him and not the other way around.

He trusted Ichigo. He'd always trusted Ichigo; Ichigo was the King. He did stupid stuff sometimes but like a compass he always found his North. Zangetsu was just there to help him get there. Where was the lack of trust?

The rain, already fading to spiteful bursts, lightened to practically nothing.

Was it because Zangetsu didn't tell Ichigo everything?

But why that? He gave Ichigo enough. The kid knew the overall goals, and he knew that Zangetsu was doing it for him. What else was there?

Sure, Zangetsu didn't give a lot of the details, but when had Ichigo cared about that?

_Maybe when he went to Soul Society and nearly got eviscerated by a guy who was all about details, who manipulated everyone and told them nothing._

Zangetsu swallowed. Maybe he hadn't been as upfront with Ichigo as he should have been. He had to fix this; he had to. His head was still pounding.

**"Ichigo."**

The teenager said nothing. Zangetsu hadn't been expecting him to; in fact, he wasn't expecting Ichigo to say anything at all. This was Zangetsu's problem.

**"I'm…sorry. This whole deal is my fault. I'm sorry for not trusting you with all the information, for dragging you to Hueco Mundo and back without even lettin' you know what the fuck we were supposed to be doing. I was stupid and selfish for doing all that and thinking it was normal to expect you to trust me and without realizing that I wasn't doing the same."**

Zangetsu worked his jaw. Ichigo still said nothing. **"I know I can't make up for the mistakes I made. But I _am_ sorry."**

Ichigo was silent for a long while, and right as Zangetsu suspected he wasn't going to say anything at all, he sighed. His words came slowly, his tone strained but measured.

"I can't accept your apology right now. We—we'll talk more tomorrow, okay?"

That was a peace offering. Zangetsu felt stung at the lack of acceptance but if Ichigo felt that strongly, then it wasn't Zangetsu's place to refuse. They could figure out the true depth of the problem when they weren't running dangerously low on sleep. At least now Zangetsu figured that they'd gotten over the worst of it.

**"Okay."**

And, finally, he could return to Ichigo's inner world. There was just one problem: it was pouring in there, and Zangetsu had just been on the verge of being dry.

Maybe it was karma. Either way, Zangetsu deserved both the rain and the weighted stare from his counterpart. He'd royally screwed up. At least now he knew about it and could work towards fixing the problem.

But first, he had to sleep.

* * *

_A/N And the problem finally gets addressed! Poor Ichigo; he's had one hell of a day. _

_Reviews (I'm too lazy to check spelling of names):_

_missIF: that's half the reason I wrote this thing._

_Cute Kirby: Zangetsu's as oblivious as Ichigo sometimes._

_TwiX Illusions: Here for ya._

_Higashikaze: Someone rec'd this? Damn, I'm flattered._

_Guest: Because they don't deserve to be that happy and carefree. (that's a joke)_

_I have no idea when the next update will come. ((Sound familiar?))  
_

_-RoR_

**_Please review._**


	24. Chapter 24

_*casually alternating between "Part" and "Chapter" because I keep forgetting*_

* * *

Part 24

Ichigo woke late. Isshin made no effort to engage in their usual morning routine, perhaps out of mercy or some belated attempt to help Ichigo. Zangetsu waited with quiet impatience for Ichigo to start the talk they needed to have, but silence reigned throughout a shower and breakfast. Late morning bled into early afternoon and Zangetsu had waited long enough.

He materialized to see Ichigo on his bed, propped up against the wall with pillows and a play in hand. The room was quiet, but this quiet was different than the one that had suffocated Zangetsu so thoroughly the previous day.

Ichigo made no move to indicate that he was going to speak. Zangetsu thought about breaking the silence himself, but echoes of Ichigo's words from last night had him sitting heavily in Ichigo's desk chair instead, twirling a pen between his fingers. Around and around the pen went, faster and faster until it slipped from Zangetsu's fingers and clattered against the floor. While Zangetsu bent over to put it back, Ichigo marked his place and set down his play. He then moved so that he sat on the edge of his bed and faced Zangetsu.

He was obviously tired. Zangetsu could feel it in his Reiatsu and see it in the slump of his shoulders. But the light was back in his eyes, a familiar spark that meant Ichigo was far from exhausted.

"I'm not happy with what you did," Ichigo began. "Definitely angry. Furious. For what you did. And didn't do. But I think—I can understand, at least a little, of what you were trying to do by withholding information."

Those words were enough to ease the tight knot of tension in Zangetsu's stomach.

"But just because I understand why doesn't mean I forgive you for doing it. We're supposed to be a team, Zangetsu. Partners. More than that. And I know you went through something you should never have had to experience but that doesn't excuse what you've done. We can't—won't—function without trust."

Pain deeper than the physiological twinged in Zangetsu's core and he nodded. How long had Ichigo spent thinking about what he was going to say? **"Yeah. I—"** he hesitated, lips thinning while he tried to find the best way to phrase what he wanted to say. Ichigo waited, his dark eyes fixed on Zangetsu. Expectant, but patient.

Old.

Zangetsu had to duck his head for a second, uncomfortable tremors running up and down his spine.

_You did this_, he reminded himself. _Fix it._

**"I _am_ sorry," **he eventually said. And he was; guilt had found its place on his shoulders, and it burdened him with all the pain he deserved. **"I pushed you too hard. Tried to pretend you weren't the vulnerable kid I met that day on the river anymore. Thought that by—by lying, by keeping you in the dark, I was protectin' you. Dunno why."** Zangetsu scrubbed a hand over his face. **"I'm such a fuckin' dumbass, King."**

The seconds ticked by.

"You wouldn't do all that without a reason," Ichigo said. "I know you, I know me. And I can guess the part of me that became you in the past. I…can be stubborn, but the things I do…I have a reason. And your reason is more than just wanting to protect me."

Zangetsu let out a low, pained chuckle. **"It is, ain't it?"** He stared at the floor. **"I didn't know, King. Never have known. What I tell you—I'm guessin', every time. We're careening towards a future I know is inevitable but I don't know what will prepare you most. Sometimes I think—a nudge here, a shove there. I have to have done something right, along the way. But I don't know what that something is. And maybe there's a magic bullet somewhere in my brain, somethin' that will set the world right on its axis and stop the shadows from swallowing everyone whole."**

He lifted and dropped his shoulders, a shrug full of callous bitterness. **"But I don't know what that bullet is. Or if it exists at all. So I picked and chose what to tell you and now—well, now I know I chose wrong. And I thought—for whatever stupid reason—that you would be okay with that. That we could have the relationship I had without any of the foundations. But I was building on pillars of sand and for it to come crumbling down like this…"** Zangetsu trailed off with a wry smile. **"It was gonna happen eventually."** He became serious again. **"I've always known that our relationship goes both ways. I'd forgotten exactly what that meant, and I lost you in that gap. For my own idiocy and all that I've done to hurt you, I'm sorry."**

Ichigo was quiet for so long that Zangetsu gave into the urge to look up at him and make sure that he was still in the room. He was, though his gaze was fixed on his hands. He had knotted them together, bracing his elbows on his knees, and his hair hid his expression.

**"King?"**

"Alright." Ichigo looked up, his jaw set. "I accept your apology, provided you swear to be more open in the future. I don't think I can handle something like this a second time."

_Neither could I._

**"'Course."**

Ichigo let out a deep breath, some of the tension bleeding out of his posture. "Good."

Zangetsu returned to his inner world feeling significantly lighter and was pleased to see that, though the sideways skies were cloudy, no rain fell.

He wasn't pleased to see the Old Man glaring at him.

**"What?"**

The Quincy spirit looked away and Zangetsu felt his irritation spark.

**"What is it?"**

"It took you months," was all the other spirit would say.

* * *

Three days passed in relative peace. Zangetsu went back to sparring with Ichigo in their inner world, leaving Hueco Mundo for better days, but he was careful to explain what they were aiming for before starting the battles. Settling into a routine seemed to ease Ichigo's mind—the majority of the clouds cleared away—and the tense atmosphere in the Kurosaki household began to ease.

Ichigo even caught up on his schoolwork, much to Zangetsu's amusement. He had been there for Ichigo doing his homework the first time around, and his subsequent refusal to help Ichigo on the grounds of being stubborn made for fun nighttime arguments.

Kisuke reported that Chad, Uryū, and Orihime were advancing in their training and Ichigo checked in with them. They weren't as close to each other as Zangetsu would have liked, but the foundations were there—especially with Chad, but that was from an entirely different situation. Zangetsu trusted Ichigo to build the rest of their friendships when the time came.

'Course, the carrot-headed idiot neglected to mention anything about the fact that his hollow half had time-traveled from the future during that meeting. While Zangetsu could understand how insane that would make him sound, he still believed that honesty would be Ichigo's best policy.

He continued believing that a day later, right up until Karin and Yuzu walked in while he and Ichigo were talking.

**"What are you gonna do if they get powers? You know they will. They live with two Shinigami, one of which still lets his Reiatsu leak out when he's upset."**

"They might not," Ichigo insisted mulishly, for the third time, like an idiot. Zangetsu stared at him.

**"They will. In the future they had the start of their powers—just sight 'n Reiatsu, but there woulda been somethin' there if it'd had the chance to grow."**

Ichigo winced, but being blunt was Zangetsu's forte and he wasn't about to stop.

"But I want to keep them out of danger," Ichigo said. "They're still young, Zangetsu, and all this Hollow and Shinigami crap is dangerous. I don't want to see them hurt."

**"And I do?"** Zangetsu spun a lazy circle in Ichigo's desk chair while he thought of the best way to phrase his next words. **"Look, King, it ain't your decision to make. You can try to protect them. And I mean try—use all you've got at your disposal and you get a few years at best. Their growth is stunted spiritually and when the time comes, they aren't able to protect themselves. It's the same story with your friends."**

"They're my _sisters_."

**"And we're their brother. What's your point?"**

Ichigo scowled, but it was hard for him to look intimidating when he was stitching up Yuzu's teddy bear. Yuzu had torn it at some point, and asked Ichigo to fix it. After getting some tips from Uryū and drawing on his own experience, Ichigo had commenced repairs. According to Yuzu, Ichigo's stitching was more durable than her own, but Zangetsu suspected that she just wanted Ichigo to do it.

Zangetsu was already sitting on the chair backwards, so he rested his arms on the backrest and then pillowed his head on his forearms.

**"I get it, one step at a time. This is a lot to process. We can wait 'till the weekend to keep talking, if you want."**

Ichigo shook his head, deftly finishing the stitching. "I don't think I should put this off longer than necessary."

**"There's no reason to think your sanity is unnecessary."**

Zangetsu raised an eyebrow at Ichigo's huff of breath, but didn't say anything.

"I'll give this to Yuzu, and then we'll talk more," Ichigo said, grabbing the bear.

"That's okay, Ichigo, I'm already here."

Zangetsu froze, his wide eyes going to Ichigo, who was the one facing the door. His expression said it all, and Zangetsu returned to his inner world in an instant, hoping to mitigate some of the damage.

The Old Man was waiting, his expression grave. "I did not sense them approaching."

**"Neither did I," **Zangetsu growled. **"Shit, I got distracted. Let my guard down."**

"As did I."

The two spirits looked at the horizon, where clouds were gathering.

**"I just fuckin' fixed that," **Zangetsu said.

A minute later, he felt a tug on his consciousness and only had time to make a face at his counterpart before being pulled back into reality. Ichigo and his sisters were waiting, the former with a very tired expression. Karin and Yuzu had emerged from the doorway and now stood inside Ichigo's room, side-by-side and radiating incredible determination.

**"Well," **Zangetsu said, grabbing his seat again after Ichigo nodded. **"This looks like it's gonna be interesting."**

Ichigo gave introductions, giving the most succinct explanation of Zangetsu's origins Zangetsu had ever heard. Zangetsu waved at all the right moments to make Karin eye him uncomfortably. Yuzu appeared unbothered, a fact that both didn't surprise Zangetsu and unnerved him to some degree.

Karin was staring at Zangetsu, so he stared back. She, at least, appeared to find Zangetsu's appearance disquieting, but she tried not to show it.

"Were you two eavesdropping?" Ichigo asked, disapproval heavy in his voice. Yuzu frowned but Karin took the lead after tearing her gaze away from Zangetsu.

"Yeah, we were. You've been spending a lot of time in your room and Yuzu was worried."

"You were too, Karin," Yuzu pointed out.

"So you spied on me?" Ichigo didn't let the topic of conversation drift too far.

"Well…" Yuzu muttered.

"Yeah," Karin admitted. But she rallied. "You don't talk to us, Ichigo. We barely see you outside of meals these days, and it's—"

"It's not good," Yuzu finished firmly, putting her hands on her hips and Zangetsu's chest ached deeply enough for him to glance at Ichigo and see the kid staring, doing the I'm-suppressing-my-emotions-because-I-enjoy-pain face. Zangetsu grabbed a convenient pen and threw it at him.

**"Don't do that."**

Ichigo caught the pen before it hit him and tossed it back, but he got the message. "I'm fine, you two. I just have a little extra responsibility these days."

"That is not fine," Karin insisted, pointing at Zangetsu.

**"That's a little rude."**

"It's complicated, Karin," Ichigo said.

"Then explain it to me. To us," she amended, glancing at Yuzu. "You and Goat-chin have been keeping secrets. Yuzu is waking up in the middle of the night feeling like she's suffocating and I feel like I'm underwater half the time. Besides, we can see those monsters you're fighting. There was the yelling a few days ago. And we want answers."

Zangetsu idly wondered how long Karin and Yuzu had been holding back their curiosity. For a while, most likely; Yuzu was patient and both of them were smart. They built up evidence before coming.

**"They got you in a corner, King," **Zangetsu said.

"I know," Ichigo muttered, rubbing his forehead. "Okay, Zangetsu, you're helping me explain."

**"Why me?"**

Ichigo gave him a baleful look. "Because you understand a lot of this stuff better than I do, and I don't feel like letting you off the hook entirely yet."

Right.

**"Fair enough."**

The talk went on for longer than Zangetsu would have liked. Really, it would have been easier to lie to them, or—if he felt like getting glared at—wipe their memories.

He could feel Ichigo's disapproval without even having to voice his thoughts out loud.

Yeah, yeah. Honesty. Truth. Trust.

When it was over, Ichigo fell back on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. Zangetsu didn't say anything, knowing there was nothing to say. He listened as Karin and Yuzu went back to their room. They had a lot to talk about.

"What am I doing, Zangetsu," Ichigo muttered.

**"How am I supposed to answer that?"**

Ichigo worked his jaw. "My whole life…was someone else's idea. My birth was some kind of experiment—what happens between a Shinigami and a human. My mom's death was orchestrated, my training planned, my power cultivated. And even with all that structure I feel like I can't find a place to land. I'm alive but everything that comes after death is everywhere around me. School, outside, my home."

**"Do you want it gone?"**

"No. I—fuck. I just. I want to be able to protect people. My friends. Family. Everyone. I guess…I didn't realize it would take so much."

**"Live and learn." **Zangetsu stopped spinning. ** "Do you want a break?"** Zangetsu couldn't fault Ichigo if he wanted another vacation. The kid was still so damned young, and even if he was older Zangetsu would feel the same. The Ichigo from the future could have used several months off. Possibly years. Probably years.

"I'm fine."

**"King."**

They stared at each other for several long seconds. "I am."

Zangetsu sighed, realizing that Ichigo was doing what he thought was best. If things got bad, Zangetsu could always force him to stop.

**"Well, if you're sure."** Zangetsu stood and stretched, feeling his spine crack. **"The Old Man and I are always around to talk if you need us."** Zangetsu considered his next words. **"You've got your friends, too."**

"I know. I think…" Ichigo sat up and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm gonna talk to them. They deserve to know more than what I've told them."

**"Not just the terrible trio," **Zangetsu said. **"Your other friends. Whatever their names are."** Ichigo raised one eyebrow, showing that he didn't believe Zangetsu didn't know their names. **"Can't neglect one world to favor another."**

Ichigo nodded, and Zangetsu returned to his inner world.

He found the Old Man waiting as usual, but this time the spirit looked noticeably more disturbed.

**"What's the matter?"**

"Keeping his parentage secret will wind up hurting him eventually."

**"I know," **Zangetsu said. **"But we can't hop from hand grenade to hand grenade. One more big bombshell too soon and he's gonna crack. We'll give him a little while and then tell him."** Seeing the other spirit's look, Zangetsu tried to put more sincerity into his words. **"We will tell him. I swear. I know the Quincy crap ain't something I can keep from him, especially since the evidence is gonna keep stacking up."**

"When are you going to bring it up? Before or after the next disaster?"

**"Before. Since when were you so full of attitude?"**

"Since I realized the true depth of our dishonesty."

Zangetsu turned away, hoping the Old Man didn't see his reflexive frown. **"When you put it like that," **he muttered. **"Alright, I'll do it soon. I just gotta…figure a way to tell him. Do it when he's not so tired. Kid needs a break, however small."**

"I won't disagree with that."

**"That's why I said it. I'm gonna rest. Let me know if he does somethin' stupid."**

"Of course."

Zangetsu found a comfortable spot on a nearby building and closed his eyes.

**"I knew it wouldn't be easy, King," **he said to empty air, **"but I didn't think it would be this hard."**

* * *

_A/N: Turning point! Anyway, I've started to form an idea of how I'm gonna end this story. Fifty-fifty whether I'll make it there, though.  
_

_Reviews:_

_BrokenLifeCycle: Like King like Horse._

_The Richmaster: Thanks! This story is great for practicing person-to-person conversations, especially the heavy ones. I was worried I was making a little too...much._

_Enjali: Like King like Horse._

_general zargon: didn't even notice the parallels until you mentioned them. Huh._

_Krazyfanfiction1: The manga is so weird right now. I'm hoping things calm down enough for me to really understand what's going on, and then maybe some of that will find its way here. I've got foundations for just about anything, fortunately enough._

_AnyMoreBrightIdeasGenius: So do I._

_amazinglion29: You flatter me._

_Cute Kirby: Hopefully the Pinball Protagonist stops soon, eh? Though, really, Zangetsu is the protagonist of this story._

_Boyy2K: I like time travel. I had the first chapter pretty much done and realized, at the end, that it was an interesting idea. The reviews supported that and I ran with it. (Or: I have no idea, it just happened.)_

_Verteller: Good ideas, though conveniently enough I was planning on addressing some of those issues in this chapter. However, Zangetsu and Ichigo have come so far in this story over so much time that outright rejection on Ichigo's part would be incongruous to the point of ridiculous. I don't have the imaginative capacity to find a situation that would cause that._

_Thank you for all the reviews!_

_-RoR_

**_Please review._**


	25. Chapter 25

_This story got way more popular than I ever thought it would._

* * *

Part 25

When school reared its head once more, Ichigo dove back into routine fast enough to give Zangetsu whiplash. Suddenly there was homework and clubs and responsibility and Zangetsu realized that now Ichigo was making a concerted effort to keep one foot firmly planted in the World of the Living.

He went to a goddamned movie. With his friends—and not just Chad, he brought Keigo and Mizuiro and Tatsuki and Orihime and Uryū and _fuck_ Ichigo actually knew a lot of people.

When the hell had he last gone to a movie? Or anything like that?

And as the days and weeks flew by, Ichigo changed. Not anything groundbreaking; not worth panicking over. But the skyscrapers in his inner world actually scraped the sky and the sun was almost blinding most days. Ichigo trained in his free time and though the frequency of those sessions went down, Ichigo's intensity and focus during them went up.

**"He found his balance," **Zangetsu remarked to the Old Man while Ichigo pored over his math homework.

"Indeed."

Zangetsu shot the other spirit a sidelong glance, catching something in his tone. And he hadn't misheard; there was pride in the tilt of the Old Man's lips.

So that was the strange sensation in his chest.

Pride in his King. Not for battle prowess or strength of body, but for finding a way to live his life in two different worlds. That took strength of mind.

Zangetsu was grinning. **"Way to go, King."**

* * *

The feeling of dread washed over Zangetsu like a wave. He stopped in the middle of practicing his stances and looked around, seeing nothing unusual in Ichigo's inner world.

**"Hey, Old Man?"**

The Quincy spirit appeared a few paces away in a swirl of black. "You feel it too?"

Zangetsu nodded. **"You know where it's coming from? I can't tell."**

The Old Man looked at the horizon, his lips thinning. After a few tense seconds, he shook his head. "It's Reiatsu, but the source is widespread. Diluted. We need to warn Ichigo."

**"He's in the middle of class," **Zangetsu pointed out. **"If the source is widespread, maybe we can stand to wait a few minutes. It's been a few days since any hollows have interrupted his school hours."**

"I don't know if that's wise."

Zangetsu did a quick mental check of the disasters that were left to come, that wouldn't be affected by any of the actions he had taken.

He couldn't tell whether any of them had started like this. The accident before school was suspicious, but Zangetsu had never focused on the beginning of a fight; it was the end that mattered.

So.

**"You're the one always yappin' about patience. We'll wait."**

The Old Man sighed. "I suppose Ichigo can handle whatever comes."

**"See? Now you're gettin' it."**

* * *

**"Alright,"** Zangetsu said mildly, watching Ichigo destroy the fourth skyscraper in his inner world, **"maybe we were wrong."**

The Old Man didn't dignify that statement with a response, and Zangetsu didn't blame him. "Wrong" was an understatement; Ichigo was down a sister and the one that remained, while alive, was heavily injured. Even with Orihime making her rounds, the time spent watching Karin lie so still with blood on her face had sent thunderclouds rolling through Ichigo's inner world.

Zangetsu could hear Ichigo shouting every time he released a Getsuga Tenshō, berating his speed and strength, all of which had fallen just short. Their opponents had fled the moment it became clear that Ichigo and his friends would be able to stop them in a prolonged fight.

But they had taken Yuzu with them. Ichigo had watched the portal to Hell close, too far away to do anything but shout Yuzu's name.

And now he was destroying skyscrapers while, outside his mind, the others regrouped in the Kurosaki Clinic. At least Zangetsu now knew what was going on:

Hell had come knocking, and brought with it several pains in the ass, the most notable of which was sitting on a stool next to the unconscious Chad.

Kokutō. Oh, Zangetsu couldn't wait to get at him. Sure, his time in Hell was a bit of a haze and he could only remember bits and pieces, but he remembered enough to know that Kokutō was an enemy. He couldn't let Ichigo trust the guy. But to warn Ichigo, Zangetsu had to stop his protective-fury-induced-inner-world-rampage. Which, judging from the sixth (seventh?) skyscraper collapsing with a roar that shook Zangetsu's bones, was not going to be a pleasant task.

Joy.

(Like Zangetsu wasn't tempted to do the same thing, like he hadn't seen the portal close and screamed just like Ichigo because that was _his goddamned sister_—)

**"King!"**

No response.

**"King! Hey, King!"**

Ichigo paused, his chest heaving and his sword still poised in the air, the blade glowing with violent energy. Zangetsu slid in front of him, one hand on the hilt of the sword on his back while he held the other out in front of Ichigo.

"What?" Ichigo asked while finally meeting Zangetsu's eyes.

**"As much as I want to rip the world to pieces too," **Zangetsu said, **"We've got more important things to worry about. You're ignoring your friends."**

"If I go out there right now, I'm going to do something I'll regret."

"Your Reiatsu is already causing a storm," the Old Man said. "I have been trying to contain its effects, but hollows have already come."

That was enough to give Ichigo pause, his frustration at Yuzu's capture warring with his natural instincts to protect. "Has anyone been hurt?"

"No. The Shinigami are handling it, from what I can tell."

"But?"

"You are avoiding the issue," the Old Man said bluntly. "Your problems are out there, not in here, and talking with us will not fix anything right now."

**"I don't like agreein' with him, but he's right," **Zangetsu said. **"But I gotta tell ya something before you go."**

Ichigo made a visible effort to calm down, and the ominous rolls of thunder in the distance quieted. "Okay. What is it?"

**"It's about your new buddy. White haired, chain obsession, doesn't seem to enjoy exposing his whole face to sunlight?"**

"Kokutō?"

**"That's the guy. Yeah, he's gonna literally stab you in the back. Or did he throw his sword?" ** Zangetsu shook his head.** "Either way, you get stabbed. I don't want that. I'm sure you agree with me."**

* * *

Ichigo's frustration bled through his Inner World. Zangetsu could understand why; without Kokutō around to open and close the Gates of Hell, Ichigo couldn't save Yuzu. Sure, they could force Kokutō to open the Gates, but what would they do to leave? They couldn't make the guy open a portal _out_.

And Yuzu was going to die, and get trapped in Hell for all eternity.

Which was great.

Zangetsu finally stopped yelling his frustration at the sideways sky and stopped to think. There had to be something he could do, something he could tell Ichigo that would fix this problem and make everything be fucking sunshine and rainbows again.

But he couldn't think of anything.

Everything he knew about Hell was actually so little. He hadn't been himself during that escapade. Nothing had been right. He hadn't been right. The air in that place had been goddamned unbearable.

And now they had to go _back_! Because Yuzu was _dying_! And he didn't know how to fucking _save_ her!

"Calm down."

Zangetsu barely stopped his sword from biting into the Quincy spirit's neck.

When had he even grabbed his sword?

**"I'm totally calm," **Zangetsu said. **"What's Ichigo doing?"**

"They have decided to go to Soul Society," the Old Man said, watching with unreadable eyes as Zangetsu placed his sword on his back. "They believe that there may be old Kidō spells they can use to enter and exit Hell."

Zangetsu licked his lips, his gaze darting to the thunderclouds and then back. **"There might be. I think that's how Ichigo got out—before he destroyed the Gates."**

"He did what?"

**"They got better. But I bet the head captain isn't gonna be so willing to just give that kinda stuff out to a substitute Shinigami for his sister."**

"How can you be so sure?"

**"Experience."**

* * *

This was so stupid. He was going to get himself killed. Burned beyond repair. Incinerated to the point of being an unrecognizable pile of ash. Bones blackened, skin melted.

Head Captain Yamamoto looked up from his desk right as Zangetsu used Sonido to appear in front of him.

The spirit tried to be casual. **"Yo."**

"Who are you?" Yamamoto asked. He didn't sound surprised, though his eyes had opened slightly. His cane was within easy reach, and even without the man touching it Zangetsu felt like the room temperature had gone up ten degrees. Then Yamamoto's posture changed. "No. What are you?"

Oh. Rude.

No, this wasn't the time for laughing. Ichigo was depending on this conversation whether he knew it or not, and Zangetsu had to come through.

**"I'm an interested party in the conversation that went down about ten minutes ago," **Zangetsu said. The conversation that had ended with Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji getting shot down and with no way of getting in and out of Hell. Apparently one human girl wasn't important enough.

To hell with that. She was _Yuzu_.

"Are you a hollow?" Yamamoto asked. His hand had moved onto his cane.

A bead of sweat slipped down the back of Zangetsu's neck. Could he take the Head Captain? Maybe. If he got to the guy before he went bankai. And even if he did, it was possible—

But risky. Very, _very_ risky.

Zangetsu swallowed. He could do this; he would do this.

**"A Zanpakutō spirit with technical difficulties," **Zangetsu clarified. **"Ichigo's, if you haven't guessed."**

"Does he think this is a joke?" He was angry. Yamamoto was angry. "I will not disclose ways to get into and out of an entire realm dedicated to being an inescapable prison, especially not to a boy with a history of being dangerously reckless and who got his powers by accident to begin with. Begone."

**"I won't."**

The temperature was definitely going up. Zangetsu set his shoulders.

**"Listen, Old Man. I'm not goin' anywhere until we get those spells or formulas or whatever. If you don't give them up, Ichigo's gonna do something colossally stupid. Maybe blow up the Gates of Hell. Either way, he's getting into Hell. It's your choice whether he does it cleanly or with collateral."**

"Are you daring to threaten me?"

**"I'm stating fact. I don't know what you think you're protecting, but it ain't worth it. We're going to Hell, one way or another."**

Yamamoto stood, his Reiatsu crashing down and suddenly gravity doubled. Or it felt like that, and Zangetsu had to take a second just to get air in his lungs again.

"You are a thousand years too young to understand your foolishness—"

Zangetsu grit his teeth. While Yamamoto postured, Yuzu was dying. Ichigo was growing more frantic every second and Zangetsu's mind was a mess of static and shrieking instincts and if he didn't get those goddamned Kidō formulas he was going to destroy Soul Society down to its roots—

**"ENOUGH!"** Zangetsu roared. Yamamoto stopped, though from surprise or indignation was unclear. **"A thousand years? The hell does time have to do with fucking _anything_, you stupid, incompetent jackass? The shit I've seen and been through would put early Soul Society to shame and you have the fucking nerve to tell me that I'm a _thousand years too early_? Bullshit! I fought tooth and nail to get where I am and I'll be damned if one stubborn piece of shit tears down all of that progress because he can't cough up some shitty Kidō! Hell will look like paradise by the time I'm through if you don't give me them in the next ten seconds. I'll burn this place to ash. I'll cut you open and dance in your withered chest cavity while the flames destroy everything you've built. And I'll _laugh _as I do it."**

The words ran out and Zangetsu glared at Yamamoto while he got his breath back, daring the head captain to say anything, anything at all. The spirit was breathing hard and he was pretty sure the roar in his ears wasn't from outside, but he was too far into this to back out now.

For a very awful minute, silence reigned.

Not total silence. Zangetsu could hear alarms in the distance; Yamamoto's Reiatsu had tripped some kind of warning system. Zangetsu had a minute, possibly less, and then Ichigo's secret would be out to the rest of the Soul Society.

Come on, Zangetsu thought. If nothing happened, he was going to do something very stupid. And Ichigo would give him That Look, and he'd probably fuck up Ichigo's future worse than what it already was.

Yamamoto opened his eyes, his expression blank. Carefully blank. The kind of blank that was intentional.

"This will not be the last I speak with you," he said, and Zangetsu understood.

He was going to have to explain himself to Yamamoto.

But, after conveying the Kidō formulas to Ichigo, he couldn't help thinking that it was worth it.

* * *

Hell was bad. Hell was very, very, _very_ bad. The air leeched into Ichigo's inner world and yanked at Zangetsu's lungs, playing with his brain and drawing out everything he tried to keep under control so fast and with so little warning that Zangetsu couldn't restrain his power in time. Even with the Old Man doing his utmost to keep Ichigo's power stable, energy leaked through the cracks.

**"I'm gonna fuckin' murder Kokutō,"** Zangetsu snarled. **"I'm gonna fuckin' murder him. And then I'm gonna wait by that fucking pool and murder him again. And again. And again. And again. And—"**

At some point the words stopped making sense. Zangetsu just kept repeating them, and endless string of sounds that anchored him to reality just as much as the Old Man's presence.

But Ichigo finding Yuzu? Zangetsu was aware of that. Of the tight knot of pain in Ichigo's chest that snapped apart so quickly at the weight of Yuzu in his arms that it created a kind of emotional whiplash that left Zangetsu reeling, and sure Ichigo was beaten and bloody but he was alive and Yuzu was safe and protected—

When Ichigo left Hell, Zangetsu's vertigo caught up with him and his vision flipped nauseatingly sideways, and though he didn't throw up he fell to his knees, waving off the Old Man.

**"I'm fine," **he grunted. **"Just—gimme a second."** His guts were twisting around themselves. **"A lotta seconds."**

* * *

The wooden doorframe dug into the space between Zangetsu's shoulder blades. In the dark room, the splash of moonlight against the floor was almost painful to look at. But Zangetsu wasn't focused on that; he was focused on Ichigo.

The teenager stood a few feet away from Karin's bed, his posture not rigid but certainly not relaxed.

Karin and Yuzu were sharing Karin's bed. Zangetsu understood; after the traumatic events surrounding Hell, letting Yuzu or Karin out of each others' sights would be a huge mistake.

But it was the middle of the night and Ichigo wasn't sleeping. He had bags under his eyes and Zangetsu suspected that he would stand guard in his sisters' room all night if the Old Man would let him.

**"King,"** Zangetsu said, keeping his voice quiet. Ichigo didn't move. **"King."**

"What?"

**"You gotta sleep. It's been hours."**

Ichigo swallowed. "Just a few more minutes."

**"Go to bed, King."**

"I said, just a—"

**"Ichigo."**

Zangetsu didn't budge from his spot leaning against the doorframe as Ichigo walked by.

Ichigo stopped, his shoulders tense and his lips drawn in a hard line. He looked at the floor while he spoke.

"You were right, Zangetsu."

He liked hearing that, but not with that tone.

**"About what?"**

"About Karin and Yuzu." Ichigo's hands were fists at his sides. "About me not being able to protect them. About everything."

**"Hold on,"** Zangetsu said, grabbing Ichigo's arm to stop him from just walking away. **"I wasn't wrong about everything. You got 'em back. They're here now, and safe."**

"Yuzu was in _Hell_," Ichigo hissed. "She's going to remember that for the rest of her life and it's all because I wasn't fast enough to save her!"

Zangetsu winced. Ichigo was fast in his Shikai, but Bankai…

No. Not yet.

**"Not everything is gonna work out," **Zangetsu said lowly. **"You're gonna lose some. You know this. Trust in your family to heal, King. Don't be an idiot and think all of this is your responsibility. Ya can't instantly regenerate minds."**

Ichigo clenched his jaw hard enough to makes the muscles in his cheeks visibly tense.

Zangetsu softened his tone. **"Yuzu 'n Karin are strong. They'll recover."**

All at once, the fight left Ichigo. His shoulders slumped and he sighed, tipping his head back to stare at the ceiling. "I know." He looked at his two sisters, emotions flickering across his face too quickly to be identifiable. "They were defenseless. With Dad at the medical conference…they had no way to defend themselves. No way of stopping those bastards from Hell."

**"What are you gonna do?"** Zangetsu asked, because Ichigo had that look on his face that said he was coming to a decision.

"I'm—if they want to—I'm going to ask Yoruichi to train them. Nothing like what Uryū, Chad, and Orihime are doing, but something. They deserve to be able to protect themselves, or at least hold out until I can get there."

Zangetsu levered himself off the doorframe. **"It's your decision, King. Now get some sleep; you can sort the rest of this out when you're not about to collapse."**

"I'm not—"

**"Go. The fuck. To sleep."**

And, much to Zangetsu's surprise, he did.

* * *

_A/N A little hint at how Zangetsu isn't as stable and in control as he seems, because why not. I dunno when the next chapter is gonna be out._

_Reviews:_

_MistyPaws: Thank you!_

_Krazyfanfiction1: They could, but they don't want to start that process until Ichigo's feeling a little more stable._

_Harbinger of Kaos: This story is centered on Ichigo and Zangetsu's relationship. The reveal will carry that theme. I can't say more without spoilers._

_BrokenLifeCycle: Tbh he probably does. But hopefully Ichigo's showing a little more personality and action at this point._

_general zargon: Thank you!_

_Darke13: Can't say without potentially spoiling anything, sorry! Though, in all honesty, I'm a big fan of Tatsuki. Do with that info what you will._

_Guest: Ichigo suspects, but he hasn't given the matter serious thought yet. He trusts Zangetsu and the Old Man. I can't answer any questions about what powers (if any) the twins will develop, because frankly, I don't know myself._

_Boyy2k: Beats me._

_Cute Kirby: Indeed he does._

_yiggdrasil: Zangetsu and the Old Man weren't paying attention. There may have been other factors at play as well._

_DumbassAnon: Nope._

_42e3: I'm glad the frustration was real without being...unrealistic._

_Silver IV Jhin: I'll update whatever story I damn well please._

_-RoR_

**_Please review._**


	26. Chapter 26

_SURPRISE!_

_It has been **forever**. As in, months. And I am sorry that I am keeping over a thousand people (still getting used to that number) in suspense, but my muse has been focused elsewhere for a very long time. It will likely remain that way indefinitely, but I scraped it together for a bit to put out this chapter. Thank you to everyone who is still favoriting/following despite the time since the last update—you guys are surprisingly motivating.  
_

* * *

Part 26

It was bad enough that Zangetsu hadn't been able to properly rest and recover for three days now. But this? This was beyond his limits.

"You're not getting out of this," Ichigo told him flatly.

**"And just why are ya so desperate t' have me in your family meeting? Ya can sort this out on your own."**

"I can. And I will. But you are proof, and Karin and Yuzu saw you already. If you're not there, they'll notice."

**"No,"** Zangetsu said. **"No, I'm not gonna do this."**

Ichigo scowled. He had bags under his eyes from several nights of interrupted sleep; Hell had relinquished its grip only on Ichigo's conscious mind. At night, Ichigo tossed and turned and screamed until his brain finally scared itself awake. "Look, I get that you're trying to make me independent or whatever—"

**"Hey, you noticed."**

"But this isn't the time to make a big thing out of it."

Zangetsu crossed his arms. **"If not now, then when?"**

"I don't know, how about when my family hasn't just been nearly torn apart by dead people from Hell."

A valid point, but Zangetsu wasn't going to budge on this. **"I'm your Zanpakutō spirit, King, not some stupid problem solver here to talk all of your issues outta existence. I already had that talk with Dad, I ain't doin' it with the whole family. That's your territory."**

"Zangetsu—"

**"I will be happy t' answer any questions you direct my way. Otherwise, it's up t' you."**

Ichigo looked to be caught somewhere between wanting to punch Zangetsu and wanting to convince him without violence. Zangetsu uncrossed his arms and ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

**"Okay, I get it, ya want help. And I've almost always been there t' help ya. But I can't do it now, not this time, and probably not ever again like I've done. I'm counsel, not king. Ya don't treat the Old Man this way, and at my core I'm the same as him: a _part_ of you. A part that ain't in charge. Understand? I'm not tryin' t' hurt you. Just givin' you space t' learn. This is your world, your life, and I am willing to help find ways to solve problems I've caused. But it's up to you to do the actual solving."**

Ichigo took a long time to answer. "So you aren't willing to be materialized."

**"Right."**

"But you'll give advice. And pay attention to the conversation."

**"'Course. I ain't gonna leave you out to dry."**

"Yeah, because that's the feeling I've been getting."

**"No need to look at me like that."**

"At this point, Zangetsu, there is always a need. And don't respond to that."

Zangetsu stuck out his tongue.

* * *

Ichigo handled himself well during the talk. Despite the stress and anxiety churning on the horizon, Ichigo's inner world remained blessedly free of rain, at least for the time being. Between offering snide comments and actual advice to Ichigo, Zangetsu messed around with his Quincy half, absently throwing out ideas for when they could introduce Ichigo to the idea that he was the sum of four parts: human, Shinigami, Hollow, and Quincy.

**"I mean, he can't kill both of us at once," **Zangetsu said. **"You take the hit, and I'll run."**

"Given past circumstances, I believe he will be inclined to strike you first."

**"Okay, rude."**

"But correct."

**"Shut up. We could do it during his next school break."**

"And ruin his vacation?"

**"Better than makin' 'im lose focus on his studies, right? 'Sides, he'll be better equipped to handle it then. And we can bring Dad in on it too. Dude's kinda important in Ichigo's life, after all."**

The Old Man hummed for a moment. "And what would we do afterwards? We should have a better plan than improvisation. That did not go well after the Hollowfication incident."

**"'Incident'?" **Zangetsu repeated incredulously. **"It wasn't that bad!"**

"Yes," the Old Man said rather firmly, "it was."

There was no arguing with him when he spoke in that tone. Zangetsu rolled his eyes. **"All right, all right. Fine. But what are we supposed to do? Can't exactly give him a therapy session in here, unless you got an education when I wasn't lookin'."**

Zangetsu held up a hand before the Old Man could respond. Ichigo was asking him to clarify how Zangetsu affected his powers. **"You're still Shinigami, but the more Shinigami power you use, the more of my Hollow side you draw upon. That's why your Reiatsu turns black and red i****—" **_in bankai. Which you don't know yet._ **"Well. Cosmetics aside, I just give your abilities a Hollow tint. After all the crap we've been through, you're gettin' pretty good at controlling it. We're still working on strictly Hollow powers, though."**

And Ichigo's attention was directed outside once more.

"We may not be therapists," the Old Man said, "but we can point Ichigo in the direction of someone who is better equipped—or have this conversation there in the first place."

Zangetsu snorted. The Old Man was missing a key point. **"Who do we know that's better equipped than us?"**

The Old Man tilted his head to acknowledge that flaw, but he didn't look happy about it. "So we do not know one singular person. Perhaps we can arrange to do it in a group, and should Ichigo choose to share to get support, he may."

Zangetsu rolled that idea around in his head. It was logical, though Ichigo would have to be very close to this group. They would already have to know some of his darkest secrets, would have to have helped him in his battles and—

**"The Visored,"** Zangetsu said. He looked up from where he'd cast his gaze down to his feet and saw the Old Man nodding. **"Yeah, they'll work. I can get in contact with Shinji and see if he's up to a group therapy session. Yes, I know that's not the right word. No, I don't care."**

Ichigo was trying to get Zangetsu's attention again. Zangetsu gave it to him—but not before he saw the Old Man roll his eyes.

* * *

They were back in Ichigo's room. The family chat had clearly wrung Ichigo out; he was face-down on his bed, seemingly trying to become one with the mattress. Zangetsu had materialized and taken up his usual spot on Ichigo's spinning chair, his feet propped up on the desk in a position that Ichigo usually discouraged. Because of the talk that now had Ichigo orbiting semiconsciousness, Zangetsu didn't have to worry about being spotted by the rest of the Kurosakis anymore—in theory. Even with that knowledge he was wary of being so casual. Besides, the rest of the world was still largely ignorant of Zangetsu, so it would pay to keep being careful. In that vein, Zangetsu had decided to start checking the barriers around the house daily. They kept any of his Hollow energy from leaking out to where the Gotei Thirteen could detect it.

So far, the barriers were holding strong, despite being many years old. Zangetsu had set up other barriers for Ichigo's benefit as soon as he'd been able, and despite Isshin's evident confusion during their first appearances (before Ichigo had even had a real grasp of the Shinigami world), the barriers had remained.

"Zangetsu," Ichigo groaned after a while, "what do you want to talk about?"

Zangetsu stopped spinning his chair back and forth. The creaking sound it made was very irritating. **"What makes you think I want t' say something?"**

"You're materialized." Ichigo rolled over onto his back. "And you're fidgeting with my stuff."

Somewhat affronted, Zangetsu put down the three-dimensional puzzle he'd been fiddling with. **"I am not."** Ichigo just stared at him. **"Okay, I was. _Was_." **Ichigo rolled his eyes. Brat. **"Look, what I want t' talk about is a little serious, so I don't want to do it if you're not feelin' up to it. It can wait."**

Ichigo was quiet for a little while. Then he sighed and sat up, swinging his legs over the side of his bed to rest his feet on the floor. "You want to talk about Hell. What happened to Yuzu and Karin."

**"Yeah."**

"Fine." Ichigo's tight-lipped smile wasn't really a smile at all. "But I want to talk about Hell too—how you reacted to it. And I want to do that first."

Oh. Zangetsu shifted. **"I handled it."**

"Zangetsu. Don't lie to me."

**"When you give an order like that," **Zangetsu muttered under his breath. **"It sucked, okay? A hundred thousand things in my head all trying to get out when I thought I'd had 'em locked away for good. All the shit Hollows are supposed to be, 'cept magnified." **He shuddered at the memory. **"Bad. Very bad." **Almost as bad as the War, just in a different sense; this was his pain, not Ichigo's. But he'd stopped it from reaching Ichigo. He'd done his job. He'd protected the King.

"Zangetsu," Ichigo said, and why was he speaking so softly, "I'm not expecting you to be fine after that."

**"Of course I'm fine," **Zangetsu snapped. He wasn't the one that had—

"You don't need to compare your problems to mine," Ichigo said. "We're the same whole, Zangetsu. My problems don't—they don't invalidate yours. So if you've got a problem, please tell me." He leaned forward. "Please."

**"You don't need to say please."**

"As long as you actually answer."

**"Is that a request or an order?"**

"Whatever you want it to be."

**"King."**

"Zangetsu."

The stare-down wasn't really a stare-down. Neither of them was really pushing for anything; Zangetsu was just trying to buy time and parse out exactly what it was that Ichigo wanted him to say. The problem was, that ideal answer wasn't immediately obvious. It was a question with no real response. If Zangetsu said there were no problems, Ichigo would know he was lying. Or the Old Man would tell Ichigo the truth, and then Zangetsu would be really screwed.

With a frustrating kind of realization, Zangetsu realized what Ichigo was doing: it was the exact same kind of thing he did during the War in the scant moments of free time they'd snatched between battles. Ichigo had always been paying attention without seeming to be, and every time he managed to trip Zangetsu up by boxing him into a corner with questions before Zangetsu realized what he was doing.

Tricky bastard.

Zangetsu grabbed the puzzle and began messing with it again just to give an outlet for the nervous energy making his muscles twitch. **"Okay, fine. I'm not doin' so well." **There was the weird tattoo markings, the dark thoughts he hadn't been able to lock away like he had originally after Hell shook them loose the first time, the chaotic energy lurking in Ichigo's Inner World that should not have been there at all, the hundred and one plans he had to keep juggling in his mind. **"I'm stressed, I'm tired, and the farther along we get the harder it is for me to anticipate stuff. I don't know exactly what I've changed or how it really affects you, and****—" **he stopped.

"And what?"

The puzzle pieces clicked against each other.

"Zangetsu?"

Zangetsu blew out a breath and tipped his head back. This was a thought that had been rolling around his head for a while, not articulated but unsettling all the same. He needed a minute to piece together the parts that had remained stubbornly separate. After Hell, though—for some reason, now he could do it. Now he could look at what he was doing, look at himself, and see—

**"I don't know what I am t' you, King,"** Zangetsu said. He very deliberately avoided looking at Ichigo. **"Originally, I went from enemy to untrustworthy ally to partner. 'N now I'm...I dunno. I was a guardian, kind of. Teacher. Instructor, whatever. Guide. Partner, in theory. But I can't pin it down. I'm not in a specific place and it's. Strange. I'm a spirit created with a purpose, and that purpose has changed so much that I'm not sure what it is anymore."**

Ichigo didn't move for a while. "Toss me the puzzle," he eventually said. Zangetsu complied, and Ichigo began to solve it. Now he was the one avoiding looking at Zangetsu. "I know that what you're describing—it's not a simple problem." _Click._ "Not something that can be solved by—well, the power of friendship." _Click. _"But." _ Click._ "No matter what you've been to me—this time around, anyway—you've been a friend. Despite fuck ups and bad decisions and lies, you've been trying to help. So I figure—" _click—_"if you can help me without knowing exactly what you're doing, I can do the same." _Click._ "Neither of us may know what we're doing, but we can at least do it together. Sound good? You help me keep living, I'll help you find a place where you fit."

He tossed Zangetsu the completed puzzle, now in two separate pieces. Zangetsu caught it on reflex, his mind sticking on Ichigo's words. That question—_what am I to you_—had an answer that simple? Just, _we'll figure it out_? Well, not _that_ simple. It wasn't them skipping off into the sunset, but it wasn't a bottle of poison and a dagger either. And Ichigo's response was—

It was something Zangetsu had never really paused to consider. Ichigo valued him—not just as a teacher or guide or weapon, but as a part of himself. And that was a level of acceptance Zangetsu had never even considered; there was no magical milestone that signaled when Ichigo passed another test; he just did.

Zangetsu had a lot to think about. But he could save it for later.

**"Sounds good,"** Zangetsu said. He turned the small metal parts over in his palms, watching the worn metal reflect the light coming from the window. **"But if we're going to be in this—together, more aware than before, more committed—then you need to tell me how your head is. I was in Hell too, King. And we're different parts, sure, but we're of the same whole. So you got affected, and I—I want to know that you're good. Or if you're not, so I can get you there."**

Ichigo picked at his nails, a habit Zangetsu hadn't seen in years. "I'm better than I was," he admitted. "And the more time passes, the better I get. I think—something about Hell. The atmosphere. Stuck in my head. And it wouldn't go away."

The reason for Zangetsu's inability to fully relax, then. The lingering thoughts he couldn't erase still reached Ichigo, even if then they were only echoes.

"But," Ichigo continued, "I can handle it. I will handle it," he repeated with more force. "Karin and Yuzu agreed to the training—and, well, you're probably not going to be surprised, but they're pretty excited about it. Especially Karin. It was like introducing her to soccer all over again." The amount of brotherly pride in Ichigo's voice made Zangetsu's chest ache. "So I'm not—not where I was before, no, but I can get there. And I trust you and the Old Man to help me."

**"Huh,"** was all Zangetsu could say. Ichigo smiled a bit.

"There's something we're both overlooking, though."

Zangetsu raised an eyebrow. **"What?"**

"Uryū, Chad, and Orihime saw me hollowfy in Hell. They know."

Zangetsu's memories of the time immediately after leaving Hell were sketchy at best. **"Did you talk to 'em?"**

"Not really. I, um. Was preoccupied."

Fretting over Yuzu. Reasonable, and acceptable given what had happened to her. **"So what are you gonna do?"**

Ichigo bit his lip. "I was thinking I could just...bring them over here tomorrow and explain. With my family as backup, instead of just my word."

**"In case they think you're crazy."**

"Um. Yeah. Pretty much. You _are_ a Hollow in my head."

Well, when he said it like that.

**"Fair point. What do you want me t' do?"**

"I can handle most of it," Ichigo mused. "Maybe bring you out as proof—they'll probably ask questions. And if there's anything you don't want to answer, we can just go to Kisuke's. I'm sure he can at least confuse them until they forget the question if he doesn't want to answer it."

Zangetsu had memories of the shopkeeper trying to do just that to him. **"Yeah, that'll work."**

Ichigo nodded and fell back down onto his bed. Zangetsu could feel him slipping into sleep within a minute and figured there was no point in him staying materialized. So he left the puzzle, once again whole, on the desk. Then he disappeared.

* * *

_A/N Much to everyone's surprise, Ichigo and Zangetsu talk some things out without violence or shouting. And it looks as though Ichigo is starting to figure out how to take command (Zangetsu is so proud).  
_

_Reviews:_

_Harbinger of Kaos: The Old Man (Ichigo's) is not an ally of the Quincy. But Zangetsu is aware of all the shadow-stuff going on, which is why Ichigo is spending minimal time in Soul Society._

_Enjali: The Old Man was a part of Ywach, but he is not Ywach. His knowledge is mostly based on Quincy techniques, not Ywach's memories of events._

_Brytte Mystere: Thank you! I always try to keep their interactions realistic without being OOC._

_Shini Guest Mi: For the Quincy bit, I addressed that with Kaos. As for Tatsuki, I have plans._

_sanjiyanunkara: Keep in mind that this is a Zangetsu that is far separated from canon. If you still disagree, that's perfectly fine._

_general zargon: Zangetsu and the head captain clashing will never cease to entertain me._

_grandshadowseal: I'm ignoring that superhero stuff. Too much to keep track of._

_Boyy2k: Pal, how do you think I write conversations?_

_ben 10.000: That is for me to know and you to find out._

_Zivyx: Some of 'em._

_TheNextExorcist: Thank you!_

_Verteller: Interesting. Honestly, I am winging 99% of this story. Almost all of the "character development moments" are spontaneous._

_DragonsFlame117: Thank you!_

_RosesInTheShade: You should see my response to Verteller._

_Rae: :)))))_

_CrazyClouds: Honestly, anyone who could kidnap Zangetsu would be a much bigger threat than Zangetsu himself._

_xoxo: OH MY GOD YOU REVIEWED. Sorry. Couldn't resist._

_Andrey258: Eh._

_Eternal Love's Eclipse: See my response to Verteller._

_Guest: I do know all that._

_Donni: You're welcome!_

_There are so many reviews. If I didn't response to yours, know that I still read and appreciated the compliments/comments._

_The next chapter will probably take just as long as this one. My schedule is hectic—but on the bright side, I have nearly finished writing my novel, and that should increase my writing time for fanfiction._

_-RoR_

**_Please review._**


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